Bridging the Gap with Rehabilitation Support and Services
At MED-EL, we understand that providing the best possible hearing implant solution for your specific needs is only one essential element for restoring hearing. Most implant users express great satisfaction and excitement at the time of initial device “switch-on,” and they experience significant gains in hearing ability over the ensuing weeks or months. However, implant users who receive specialized rehabilitation soon after switch-on find that it can make an enormous difference in the ability to reach their fullest hearing potential in the shortest time possible.
Rehabilitation can take several forms: individual therapy sessions, group therapy and support, or home therapy. Most children who receive implants obtain at least some level of habilitation through their school, but their families often seek out additional services to augment school-based support. The number of adults who seek out rehabilitation services is smaller, but those individuals who do put effort into rehabilitation find that the rewards are great. The professionals who provide habilitative services include speech-language pathologists, specialized auditory therapists, teachers of the deaf, or audiologists.
MED-EL is committed to supporting professionals, users and parents in their habilitative journey. Our hearing implant technology provides users with great potential for improved spoken communication, enjoying music and recognizing the entire world of environmental sounds. Our support resources, assessments and rehabilitation tools help ensure that implant users learn to use this technology to the very best of their ability. Our variety of materials for all age groups, from infant through teens and adults, can help to bridge the gap between deafness and the development of effective communication skills with a cochlear implant.
Introducing the unique BRIDGE
to Better Communication Program
The BRIDGE to Better Communication is a comprehensive support program that MED-EL has developed in cooperation with leading experts worldwide. It consists of a wide variety of products, resources and materials for adult and pediatric habilitation, assessment, and device management. This process begins with identifying the implant user’s current skills, setting realistic expectations and goals, ensuring the best possible device function, and improving communication skills each day. A variety of habilitation materials can help guide and motivate both the user and the professional toward achieving the best possible communicative competence.
These materials are primarily designed for use by clinicians working with clients following implantation, although some materials have also been developed for parents and some are suitable for listening practice at home. They cover a wide range of abilities and needs, and work toward one goal – ensuring the best possible benefit for our family of cochlear implant users.
In the following pages you will find detailed information about each of the BRIDGE program components, along with a downloadable order form. Some materials are available as a free download, while others are available for purchase. Our Educational Support team can answer questions about these materials, as well as provide guidance on rehabilitation. We can help teachers and therapists better understand what cochlear implants do, how to troubleshoot the equipment, how to modify teaching or therapy approaches to meet the needs of the user, and how to set realistic goals and expectations.
For more information please contact MED-EL or email us at educators@medelus.com.
Download the complete BRIDGE Product Catalog
The BRIDGE program consists of a wide variety of products, resources and materials for adult and pediatric habilitation, assessment, and device management. This process begins with identifying the implant user’s current skills, setting realistic expectations and goals, and ensuring the best possible device function and listening skills each day. A variety of habilitation materials can help guide and motivate both the user and the professional toward achieving the best possible communicative competence.
Click here for the latest catalog of BRIDGE materials.
