Cochlear Implants (CIs) are often touted as the cure for deafness. This may be true, but success varies. Typically, I recommend an evaluation for a CI if word discrimination is very poor and the individual has significant hearing loss,
1) If the individual cannot benefit from hearing aids.
2) If the individual is interested in pursuing additional evaluation.
3) There are contraindications such as risk for heart problems, stroke and general health of the individual.

Age should not factor in this decision. Typically, extensive audiology testing and a consult with an ear, nose, throat physician (ENT) is necessary to determine candidacy. Insurance coverage is important since the out of pocket cost is estimated at $50,000-$100,000.

The process of fitting a CI involves surgery that generally lasts two to three hours. The device itself has two parts: the microphone/processor and the receiver/electrode array. The mic/processor looks like a large hearing aid and transmits the sound to a magnet (the circular disk) that sits above the ear. The receiver/electrode array receives the signal. The electrode sends a stronger signal to the auditory (hearing) nerve. To receive the signal through the electrode, the inner ear is partially or wholly destroyed by the electrode array itself. The CI surgery is not reversible. Many people with CIs wear their regular hearing aids on their other ear, to receive some sound awareness when the CI is removed.

The success of the CI varies on the age of the individual being implanted, their experience with sound in general, how long it has been since they have heard any sound, how dependent they are on sound, the structure of their inner ear, and how willing they are to learn to hear sound and use the device. Programming the device may require several follow ups over the first few years. Losing the processer (the hearing aid portion) is a major loss and costs several thousands of dollars to replace it.

An adult CI patient generally has greater success if they recently lost their hearing and used hearing aids faithfully throughout their adult lives. However, for the individual who has grown up using sign language, never uses their hearing aids, CIs would likely provide less benefit—perhaps only some sound awareness. Some of the success is also dependent on how healthy the hearing nerve is. For example, the individual who has one “dead” ear and one ear that has a severe hearing loss, the CI would likely be implanted in the better since the auditory nerve is likely more healthy.

For young children, it is desirable to implant very young to give that child experience with sound during the critical stages of learning speech and language, less than two years old. Many of these recipients have positive results, however it is difficult to determine what the level of success each child will obtain. It is generally agreed that the child will hear better with the CI than with hearing aids alone.

If you think you might be a CI candidate, call your physician for a referral and receive audiologic testing at Parker Audiology.

When I bought my i-phone, I thought about the 30-year business I ran with 1,800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and two great grandkids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids signed me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone accessory I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife, and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, “Re-calc-u-lating.”

You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then if I made a right turn instead, well, it was not a good relationship.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets, and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for four years, but I still haven’t figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have to run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves, but this sudden “Paper or Plastic?” every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, “Paper or Plastic?” I just say, “Doesn’t matter to me. I am bi-sacksual.” Then it’s their turn to stare at me with a blank look. I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, “No, but I do toot a lot.”

We senior citizens don’t need anymore gadgets. The TV remote and the garage door remote are about all we can handle.

Fourteen years ago when I began working as an audiologist in the QCA, I saw many factory retirees finishing their employment with tremendous hearing losses. Back in 1997, many factory workers were employed for 30+ years and did not have the education and hearing protection available to them that current workers have available now. Many were involved with the military and/or farming prior to their working years. The effects of noise exposure on their hearing were less known than today. Decades ago, OSHA offered less guidance regarding noise exposure and hearing protection. Companies may have offered ear plugs but policies for using hearing protection varied widely. Many people told me that they did not like wearing ear plugs, however I saw the direct benefits from those who did use them.

Today, retirees’ hearing is vastly improved when they leave their work environments. I attribute the improvement of hearing to the diligent monitoring of hearing, education of noise induced hearing loss, modifying work conditions, and the encouragement and free offerings of earplugs for work and home use. Ultimately these practices instituted by companies have slowed the rate of hearing loss significantly. In some cases, hearing is only slightly worse than what is normal for the patient’s age. This improvement in hearing education means the difference between purchasing hearing aids now or in 15 years. Of course, hearing loss is not necessarily just related to noise exposure or an aging population – about 40 percent of all hearing impaired are under 60 years old.

In contrast, there are some who have not been so diligent with protecting their hearing at work or home. These individuals tend to have far more hearing loss which could be prevented. Their losses mirror the hearing loss I saw 15 years ago when I began my career with testing the factory workers. In short, the programs instituted by factories have slowed the damage of noise induced (permanent) hearing loss. It is my hope that the younger generation will learn from their elders’ lessons and hopefully avoid having to wear hearing aids at a younger age.

As for our youth with their IPODS, hunting, dancing, gaming, and other noisy activities, I have hope that their teachers and mentors will have meaningful conversations about noise induced hearing loss beginning at a very early age. Parents need to listen to their young ones and trust what sounds painful. See an audiologist about suitable hearing protection. On the bright side, most of us have experienced plenty of loud sounds in our youth and survived with minimal effect to our hearing.
May Is Better Speech And Hearing Month. Get a physician referral and have your hearing tested today!

We’ve all seen them, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and many of our favorite magazines are now displaying a funny little maze like box. They direct us to email, notes, websites, videos and more. Even the airlines are wanting you to download this code on your smart phone and scan it for entry!

So what are they? They are similar to barcodes, however they are called a QR-CODE.

By definition, the QR-Codes are a two dimensional barcode (datamatrix) that is designed to have it’s contents decoded at high speed. Hence the reason it’s called QR (Quick Response) Code.

These QR-Codes were initially used for tracking parts by vehicle manufacturers. However, they now have moved rapidly into the mobile phone and mobile internet. QR-Codes can be used to store data like URLs, personal business card information and advertising where the user of the smart phone can visit or email immediately to the recipient.

Here’s an example of a QR Code

So if you are one of those who own a smartphone, go ahead, give it a try! Ummm… well, first you must go download a QR reader, which is pretty easy to do. Generally the best way is to download an app from the app store on your phone. They are free and easy to download.

The biggest reason that I downloaded my app is so I can easily connect offline and online content. I no longer need to type into my phone a complex URL, I can simply snap a photo and it takes me to the appropriate page of the website without being all thumbs.

I’ve also found it very useful to snap the photo and email the url, email or video to myself so I can look at it later on my computer.

Whatever the reason, I’m sure you’ll see them more and more, so you may as well add one more app!

Dan Adams can be contacted by calling (563) 505-8821 or at dandadams@gmail.com

According to Better Hearing Institute (www.betterhearing.org) 60 percent of those with hearing loss are below the age of 64. Hearing loss is not just an “aging” problem. Hearing loss occurs gradually and painlessly. Often hearing loss is not noticed until family members begin nagging you. They usually have your best interests in mind, so it can be good to use them as a guidepost to your hearing ability. Typically, I see hearing loss progression over three to five year time blocks. However, this is not true for everyone, and there is a percentage of people that have more rapid worsening of hearing. If you think you have hearing loss, get a base line hearing test. Obtaining a medical referral is helpful for insurance purposes. Keep your hearing tests with your medical files and have your tests sent to your primary care physician (PCP).

This is an exciting time in the hearing industry. Hearing aids are evolving about every 6-12 months, significantly faster than the 18-24 months we saw about 5-10 years ago. Hearing instruments are becoming smaller and more powerful. This year the trend is for more connectivity and more control in background noise. If you have not looked into hearing aids during the past two years, it would be worthwhile to get a demonstration. Here is a listing of some of the latest new features.

American-made, Starkey Laboratories offer the ability for you to step into a room and hear the television (or any sound system) through your hearing aids. Set up takes about two minutes and is very easy. Once set up, there are no buttons to press and nothing to turn on. You simply step into the room, and the hearing instruments will find the TV and pick it up. Starkey offers stereo quality through their hearing instruments. In the next year or so, Starkey anticipates releasing an upgrade where the hearing device becomes its own “Bluetooth” ear piece. When the call is done, your hearing aids go back to working as hearing aids. This development will only be compatible with the Wi RIC series, which is available now. Check out their research at www.starkeypro.com.

Oticon, headquartered in Denmark, is internationally known for their thorough research, durability and terrific sound quality for their hearing instruments. Oticon’s hearing aids offer binaural spacial processing to help you locate sounds. The hearing instruments talk to each other and make adjustments in real-time to track speech and minimize extraneous noise. They offer a lot of power, reduce feedback and are appropriate for most hearing losses. Oticon’s devices are very small and free models are available to try out on your ear. The number one comment from Oticon users is “it just sounds natural.” Oticon has recently released a new line of hearing instruments, the Ino (pronounced “I Know”-www.oticonusa.com). Oticon Hearing Instruments Free Consultations will be April 12, 13 and 14. *Limited Space. Call for your reservation today (563) 326-5441.

Dr. Molly Parker is an audiologist with Parker Audiology, PC, 1640 W. Locust Street, Davenport, Iowa. She can be reached at (563) 326-5441 or mparker@donwhitehearing.com.

Looking to buy a new computer system, for some people, can be about as fun as getting a root canal. With all of the “Dual-Core” this and the “Gigabyte” that, the technical babble can simply tie your brain in knots if you don’t know what it all means. Then, even if you do know what it all means, making sure that all of the components are going to work together and compliment your needs still remains a daunting task. Here are a few tips that could help you in making the right decision.

1. Before going to look for your new computer ask yourself this question: “What am I going to do with it?” Your needs should drive your purchase. Map your needs out on a piece of paper. I recommend starting out by listing your most demanding and important needs first. These needs will help to shape your final decision.

2. You don’t have to become a super-techie and understand all of the terminology to end up making the perfect purchase. Having someone who knows what they are talking about and are willing to look over your needs list can be priceless. This can be a friend, co-worker, relative, etc. Take the time to get a few opinions and take note of the similarities in their suggestions. Another good source of valuable information can be a trusted local computer shop. Any good computer shop will be willing to listen to your needs and help guide you into finding the computer you need, even if you don’t buy it there.

3. The most important piece of advice that I have for you is to make sure that the computer you decide to purchase either comes with a good warranty or has a warranty available for a decent price. Make sure that you take the time to learn what the warranty covers and what it does not. Most computer systems on the market come standard with a one year warranty, while some can come standard with two and even three year warranties at no extra cost! The length of the warranty can sometimes be indicative of the quality of the system. Don’t be fooled by the computer’s low price if it doesn’t come with a warranty to protect your investment.

When it comes down to it, you have the final say in making sure that your decision is the best one for you, and also that you get a good deal, with support readily accessible if/whenever you need it.

Good luck!

Tech Matters is written each month by Travis Larson and Dave Montag of Computer Revolutions in Moline. They can be reached at (309) 797-9114 or by emailing info@computerrevolutions.com.

Identity Theft Awareness

Identity thieves use many different methods to carry out their crimes. One of their most effective tools just happens to be a computer. The introduction and evolution of the internet has made it that much easier for identity theft to be committed by someone sitting behind a computer screen. Several online predators seek out the innocent on fraudulent web sites or through spam email. They sometimes claim to be IRS agents or members of a banking institution, trying to persuade recipients out of residential addresses, Social Security numbers and bank account information. Those individuals who choose to meet these requests are swindled instantly as the scammer immediately assumes their identity by charging up credit cards and possibly cleaning out their bank accounts

You would be surprised to learn what may still be on your computer even after you think it has been removed. A computer-savvy thief may easily be able to retrieve email messages, your name, age, birth date and other sensitive information.

Eluding Computer Identity Theft

Here are a few things that can be done to prevent your personal information from being compromised.

• Always remove the hard drive on a computer you are selling or giving away.
• Keep it in a safe place or destroy it
• Inquire within a reliable computer supplier about how to safely overwrite the files
• Use a quality hard disk cleaning program.

There are also a few items you should delete individually. Although it may be somewhat of a task, recovering from identity theft is even more of a challenge. Here are the files that must be deleted before selling or giving your computer away:

• All email contacts
• All email messages
• All word documents
• All files in the recycle bin or trash folder of the operating system
• All temporary internet files
• Your internet search history
• The cache of your web browser
• Any non-transferable software that may be installed on the hard drive

You should also make sure that trusted users of your computer are practicing identity theft prevention as well. Children should protect themselves from identity theft by never using their real name in an email account and limiting personal details on social networking sites. Because children are often prime targets of internet predators, it is very important to protect the contents of your computer to prevent identity theft and ensure their safety.

Tech Matters is written each month by Travis Larson and Dave Montag of Computer Revolutions in Moline. They can be reached at 309.797.9114 or by emailing info@computerrevolutions.com.

Viruses are a destructive part of our daily internet activities. The truth is that thousands of new viruses and variations of currently known viruses are released at an astonishing rate each year. Like the flu, the strain can change constantly. At their best, a virus can merely be an annoying nuisance. At their worst, viruses can expose your personal data, corrupt it, or erase it completely. The following helpful tips will assist in protecting your computer and the data on it.

Install, run, and manage an anti-virus program. This is one of the rare instances in life where the phrase “You get what you pay for,” does not apply. With that being said, there are many free anti-virus programs that work efficiently in protecting your computer. AVG Free Edition and Microsoft Security Essentials are two examples of these programs that are completely free of charge. Also, it is important to note that while it is possible to have more than one anti-virus program on your computer at a time, this is not recommended as the programs can conflict with each other. This can result in your computer working harder than it has to and running slower than it needs to.

Keep your anti-virus current. Once you have the anti-virus in place, be sure to keep it up to date. Most anti-viruses automatically maintain themselves. However, in the menu of your anti-virus program you can also view possible updates and update your protection manually. The updates provide protection against the very latest viruses that have been identified by your anti-virus provider. Without the updates, your computer remains vulnerable against new threats.

Keep Windows up-to-date. Microsoft Windows has numerous vulnerabilities that make it easy for viruses to get in to your computer and your data. Windows releases updates that help to minimize a viruses’ effectiveness. By making sure that Windows is up to date you will help to ensure that you have the best chance of staying virus-free.

Be careful of unknown forwards, emails, and spam. The easiest way for a virus to travel to your computer and your data is through spam, pop-ups, and forwards. Be careful of what you click on, make sure you know the sender of your emails, and do not provide personal data to an unknown source.

Maintain healthy maintenance on your computer. It is important to take care of your computer just as you would your car. Computer Revolutions recommends bringing in your computer one to two times per year to have your system tuned up and updated. We provide free estimates and diagnostics, involving you in the process every step of the way. We will help you maintain a healthy computer.

Editors Note: The TECH MATTERS column will occasionally address reader’s technology questions. Forward TECH MATTERS questions to publisher@50pluslife.com or to 50+ Lifestyles, P.O. Box 1194, Bettendorf, IA 52722.

COMPUTER REVOLUTIONS is locally owned and operated by Dave Montag and Travis Larson. They can be contacted at 309.797.9114 or info@computerrevolutions.com.

We’re excited to introduce a new monthly column, Tech Matters, to the readers of 50+ Lifestyles! Computers are no longer used only in the workplace – they have also become an integral part of daily routines at virtually every stage of life. Whether emailing, shopping online, Skyping a friend or family member, doing homework or checking in with the office, most everyone has embraced the phenomenal power of the personal computer and the internet. That’s why we believe this column will quickly become a favorite among 50+ readers!

We started our company, COMPUTER REVOLUTIONS, in 2004 offering custom built desktop and
laptop computers – along with services directed at satisfying our individual customer’s needs. Our customer base has continued to expand and now includes businesses, medical/financial/legal professionals, schools, senior care facilities and individuals.

Our business has been built upon the recognition that each customer has specific needs and requirements for computer products and services. Because we take the time to personally interact with our customers to learn their intended use of our products, we can then custom build the product to meet these needs. These same ideals establish the basis for our customer service work as well. We will not oversell a product or service to our customers.

Regardless of your level of technical understanding, we will sit down with you to analyze and
determine the best product and/or service to meet your needs at the right price. And our policy of providing our free diagnostics and estimates provides the assurance that we’ve earned your trust before we’ve earned your business.

Our diagnostics and repair services are offered both in our Moline store or right on site in your home or office. By first phoning us at the store, we can determine a preliminary diagnosis of the problem, and, in some cases, we may be able to resolve the problem over the phone. If the problem is more complex, we will arrange for in-store or on-site service that’s convenient for you.

Whether you need a new desktop or laptop computer – or service of an existing machine – we hope you’ll give us a call at 309.797.9114 or stop by our store located at 3654 Avenue of the Cities in Moline. We’d like to be your local computer experts!

Editors Note: The TECH MATTERS column will occasionally address reader’s technology questions. Readers may forward their TECH MATTERS questions to publisher@50pluslife.com or to 50+ Lifestyles, P.O. Box 1194, Bettendorf, IA 52722.

COMPUTER REVOLUTIONS is locally owned and operated by Dave Montag and Travis Larson. Contact them at 309.797.9114 or info@computerrevolutions.com.

Many audiobooks are now coming out in MP3 compatible formats. This is a full audiobook on a single CD. MP3 compatibility means you can transfer the audio file to your computer, and then onto an MP3 compatible music player. To find this new format, just look for the MP3 label on the front of the audiobook case.

Playaway digital audio books are another convenient option for those of you who like to listen to books on the go. The Playaway offers an entire unabridged book in a convenient digital player that’s about the size of a deck of cards. There are no CDs or cassettes to change, and the player will “remember” where you last stopped listening. Playaways are the convenient, hands-free way to listen to books while you travel, play, work on crafts or other tasks. Area libraries such as our Rock Island Main, 30/31 or Southwest Branch Libraries offer a wide vareity of Playaway titles with three-week checkouts. To listen, just insert batteries and your own headphones or ear buds. You may check out books and other items from Rock Island Libraries with a current library card from any Quad City library.

To search for Playaway titles, visit your local library or click “catalog” at www.rockislandlibrary.org.