Two-year-old can now hear under water

Scott Optican with his 2-year-old son Henry. Photo / Rory Thompson

Two-year-old Henry Optican is one of 400 children in New Zealand fitted with a Cochlear Implant who is now able to hear under water.

The Australian made Aqua+ device costs around NZ$300 and was released here late last month.

Country Manager for Cochlear NZ Ltd, Simon Wilson, says the device has only been available globally for the past six months.

"We decided to release it in New Zealand in time for our summer," he says. "Previously, we had the Aqua Accessory which was a single use only waterproof bag."

The Aqua+ was showcased at the Olympic Pools in Newmarket yesterday at a "Pool Party" hosted by the Hearing House - an Auckland-based charity dedicated to supporting deaf children and their families.

A cochlear implant has two parts, one fitted internally via surgery and an external processor.

The Aqua+ acts as a silicone sleeve and slips over the $10,000 external processor, protecting it from water damage.

Henry has an implant fitted in his right ear, while he wears a hearing aid in his left ear.
His father, Scott Optican says it will vastly improve his quality of life.

"The water has been the only area we haven't been able to communicate with him, this is a huge plus for us - I used to have to yell really loudly into his left ear to get his attention.

"You need to be able to talk to kids while they are in the water, it's so important from a safety point of view.

"We are going to Hawaii over summer and he is going to have a much better time because of this solution," Optican says.

Henry is also a poster boy for Loud Shirt day, an annual event the Hearing House promotes to raise funds.

CEO, Scott Johnston says it needs to raise money for the therapy that allows children to listen and speak once fitted with a cochlear implant.

"It costs $12,000 to put a child through our program - the intervention that follows the fitting of the device is really critical," he says.

Schools and workplaces are invited to participate in Loud Shirt day this Friday 19 September.

www.loudshirtday.co.nz