A daughter's story

The Hearing House
13 minutes ago
1 min read

Barry Bjerring is a retired farmer now based in Katikati in the Bay of Plenty. After years farming in Waihi, he received his cochlear implant a year ago, having lived with hearing differences for many years.

Here, his daughter Janine shares her family's story.

“Dad first mentioned a year or so back that his audiologist had suggested that a cochlear implant might be a good option for him. She had done all that she could to help him with hearing aids. Gradually, he needed things repeated a few times before he understood. And even then, he couldn't always get what we were saying.

"As a family, we were seeing him become more isolated, disconnected and unintentionally excluded.

"Dad was a farmer and used loud machinery on a daily basis from a young age. When he was in his forties, he noticed that the noise from saw mill we had on the farm was affecting his hearing -- wearing ear muffs and hearing protection wasn’t something anyone was even aware of forty plus years ago. Our family all encouraged Dad to at least explore a cochlear implant as an option.

"The Hearing House has been fantastic at fitting the appointments around our work and study commitments. We felt fully supported by them and received excellent communication and care. They ensured everything went smoothly and there were no surprises along the way.

"As a family, we'd definitely recommend a cochlear implant as a great option for regaining access to sound and creating connections.”