Cochlear implants — which bypass damaged or dysfunctional parts of the inner ear — can improve hearing for people with hearing loss that cannot be adequately managed with conventional hearing aids. Cochlear implants are electronic devices that convert acoustic sounds into electrical pulses which stimulate the auditory nerve directly. Cochlear implants help in understanding speech in everyday listening situations — even with hearing aids. Children and adults who had speech and language skills before losing their hearing generally have an easier time adapting to cochlear implants than those who have never experienced hearing at all.