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Cochlear Implant Support Resources

Community Resources for Anyone Considering a Cochlear Implant

For anyone considering a cochlear implant for themselves
or a loved one

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Here for you every step of the way towards better hearing

Connect with Advanced Bionics

Hear More. Do More. Live More. When you choose Advanced Bionics, you’re choosing a hearing partner for life. Our team of experienced specialists are here to guide and support you every step of the way on your hearing journey. From your first questions to enjoying the world of sound with your AB cochlear implant (CI), we make the process clear, simple, and personal.



Ready to help you Monday through Friday 5am – 5pm Pacific Time • 8am – 8pm Eastern Time

Already have an AB cochlear implant?

Find the Support You Need

Peer & Community Connection

Connect with peers in the cochlear implant community who understand life with hearing loss.

Attend virtual or local events

Find a Clinic Near You

A hearing care professional can help determine the best solution for your hearing loss. Use this tool to find a hearing clinic and the AB representative closest to you.

Find support near you

Connect to a Mentor

Take the first step toward connection by joining the Hearing Journey Forum. Here, you will join thousands of people who have found confidence, support, and community with Advanced Bionics.

Connect one-on-one with an AB mentor


Read Powerful Stories on Hearing Loss

Read stories written by CI experts, CI recipients, or parents of children with CIs. Read about their hearing journey along with helpful articles on hearing loss and cochlear implant technology.


Image of the blog author

"Having had a cochlear implant since I was thirteen months old, hearing and living with one is all I know."

Emmy Cartwright

Read Emmy's Story

"My Advanced Bionics cochlear implants have truly given me a new life, allowing me to experience sound in ways I never imagined possible."

Sato Shinji

Read Shinji's Story
Erika Anderson Beale, author, sharing her story of receiving a cochlear implant for Ménière’s disease.

"Now, I can participate in dinner table conversations, enjoy time in crowded family rooms, and hear clearly in noisy restaurants."

Erika Anderson Beale

Read Erika's Story
blog author parrish

"To be able to hear conversations and understand speech using cochlear implants is astonishing."


Shirley Parrish

Read Shirley's Story

Read Emmy's Story
Read Shinji's Story
Read Erika's Story
Read Shirley's Story


Common Questions About Cochlear Implants

A cochlear implant (CI) is considered the next step in hearing technology when hearing aids are no longer providing the sound support someone needs. Hearing aids go on the outside of the body and work like a speaker, making sound louder. Cochlear implants go under the skin and work with an external processor to send sound waves directly to your hearing nerve for clearer understanding. 

Learn more about how a Cochlear Implant works

Cochlear implants let you hear in a different way from those without hearing loss. A cochlear implant sends tiny electrical signals directly to the hearing nerves and onto the brain to be interpreted as sound. For hundreds of thousands of people around the world, cochlear implants help them carry on conversations, use the phone, and enjoy music. For young children, cochlear implants can help them learn speech and language. 

We hear best with two ears. Hearing with both ears helps us know where sounds are coming from, and understand speech better in noisy places.

Depending on their hearing care professional’s advice and healthcare coverage, people with hearing loss sometimes get both ears implanted at the same time. Others decide to get one implant first before getting another one later.

Read an article about hearing with two ears

Compared to many other surgeries, cochlear implant surgery is simple and minimally invasive. The surgery itself typically takes two to four hours. Because it’s done with general anesthesia, you will also spend additional time in the preparation and recovery areas.

Read an article about what you should ask at your cochlear implant evaluation

Cochlear implants are often covered by Medicare and many private insurance plans. Your exact coverage and any out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance.
For details, contact the Advanced Bionics support team hear@advancedbionics.com
or read this helpful blog: How to Determine the Cost of a Cochlear Implant for You


Do you have more questions about cochlear implants?

Please visit our more extensive FAQs for Adults and Children below.

Read the FAQs for Adult

Read the FAQs for Children

Real Stories of Confidence and Connection

Meet your Cochlear Implant Community





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See what happens when young Percy hears his own story for the very first time straight from the sound of his father’s voice.

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See the moment when Imani hears how her courage and tenacity to achieve has made hearing, "I'm so proud of you," a part of every day.

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See how the gift of connection through sound allowed Jack to savor precious moments again at noisy Sunday dinners.




Trusted by Thousands Worldwide

For more than 30 years, Advanced Bionics has been helping adults and children with severe to profound hearing loss rediscover sound and connection. 

Advanced Bionics (AB) is a Sonova company and sister brand of Phonak. We are a global manufacturer of cochlear implant technology, helping people of all ages hear better and live connected lives.

Learn more about Advanced Bionics