Audiobooks help cochlear implant patient hear again

Going the extra step is so much a part of the Library circulation staff’s routine, it’s a wonder they don’t wear a hole in the floor.

One example involves Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch patron Judy Anderson of Highland Heights. Ms. Anderson had just had a cochlear implant, which is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. As a result, the ear and brain have to reconnect.

“Every word becomes a squeak,” Ms. Anderson recalled from Daytona, Florida, where’s she staying temporarily. “You have to learn the words over.”

To retrain her ear and brain, she tried listening to audiobooks while reading along. Problem was, the two books weren’t matching up. So she asked Carrico/Fort Thomas Circulation Supervisor Connie Herschede and her staff for help.

They showed Ms. Anderson the difference between abridged and unabridged titles. “They managed to find the books and the audiobooks that went together,” Anderson recalled.
“That’s how I learned to hear again.”

Just as audiobooks helped Ms. Anderson recover, they can also help young people get hooked on books in the first place or provide entertainment for a long car ride. Need help? You know you can find it at the circulation or information desks.

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