Don't Risk Losing Cochlear Implant Processors When Swimming

Recently, this story was sent to us by an audiology group about one of their patients who was surfing with cochlear implants while on vacation.

A storm was brewing, and a large wave pulled off my son's entire cochlear implant processor and headpiece. Devastated, he swam in to tell me, but searching for it was nearly impossible in the strong surf. For the next 3 days while the storm raged, I went down to the shore and watched the pattern of the wind and the waves. On my family's last day of vacation, the storm had finally subsided so the I decided to snorkel near some rocks the waves had been hitting. During one dive as a wave pulled away sand from the floor of the ocean, the dad saw something red under a rock. When I swam down to investigate, I found the processor still connected to the headpiece, which was stuck under the rock! When I  pulled on the processor, the headpiece would not budge. I knew that I was running out of air and if he went back to the surface to get a breath, another wave would come and bury the device again. So, I gave one final tug which pulled the headpiece free. I returned to the surface with the entire device! As if finding the processor after 3 days in the ocean was not amazing enough, my family was astounded to see that it still worked!

This is a truly amazing story with a happy ending, but many families and individuals around the world are not as lucky. Some people clip their processor to some part of their clothing only to find it lost after being tossed by a wave, or crashing on mountain bike. Mishaps during recreational activities happen. Unfortunately, for people with cochlear implants those mishaps can be very costly. 

As a parent of a child with bilateral cochlear implants, our greatest fear came when our son participated in any activity where there was a chance he could lose his processors. We became helicopter parents even though we never wanted to limit our child’s ability to participate in any activity. As a result of this problem, we created the Ci Wear shirt.

Ci Wear makes specialty shirts designed to secure and help protect cochlear implant processor(s). It has patented pockets that include elastic bands to clip the processor to and a button hole inside of the pocket to run the sound cord under the shirt. This reduces the risk of a wave, hard fall or crash knocking off your processor(s).

If you have ever spent money on a case to protect your cellphone, then a Ci Wear shirt is for you. It is the perfect accessory for your cochlear implant processor(s), and gives you the security, comfort, and confidence to participate in and enjoy all types of activities without the fear of losing your device.

#swimming #cochlearimplants #Secure #CiWear 

CI WEAR FOUNDER RECEIVES PATENT FOR SPECIALTY SHIRT TO HELP DEAF SON-

Can Benefit Many Active Individuals                                                   

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (February 9, 2016)-Ci Wear, LLC. (www.ciwear.com) an apparel company focused on creating active gear for the hearing impaired, announced today the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent 9,242,093 for a specialty garment used during physical activity to conceal a hearing device and its wires to 

Shirt can be worn in all environments including underwater

protect against entanglement and dislodgment. This proprietary shirt design reduces the exposure of hearing devices such as cochlear implant (CI) processors,  smartphones and MP3 players; and their prospective sound cords/headphones. By integrating the device into the shirt, this adds a layer of protection from tangles and snags that cause loss or damage, especially during activities in tough environments such as  surfing, skiing, water parks, soccer, rock climbing and basketball.

              

"The idea for Ci Wear came from watching our son swim with his waterproof CI processors," explained Eric Sherman, inventor of the Ci Wear shirt. "We noticed our son spent a lot of time tending to his processors and headpieces, and not enough time playing. We wanted to find something our son could wear that improved his experience in the water and not be a hindrance."

By incorporating the hearing device, the user could slide their CI processors or any electronic device into the sleeve pockets, thread the cords through the shirt, and enjoy any physical activity without the need to make constant adjustments for comfort and protection of equipment. This patent is an important component of Ci Wear, differentiating its clothing from other apparel, especially in the area of active wear for individuals who use hearing devices. Ci Wear is focused on enhancing the users experience. Parents of hearing impaired children have expressed their appreciation for a product like this because it works wells with sports across the spectrum all while neatly concealing the hearing device and its sound cord/wire.

About Ci Wear

Ci Wear shirts are used as rash guard/swim shirt in the water or as a high performance shirt on land. The shirt features raglan sleeves and flat lock stitching for added comfort and flexibility. The shirts are made in the USA and sell directly to consumers via online store. For more information visit www.ciwear.com.

#Activegear #technology #Ciwear #cochlearimplant  #ProFinderContest