Difficulty hearing? Here’s how you can know if your hearing aids need maintenance.
You take good care of your hearing aids. You’re really cautious with your hearing aids. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they are snug on their charger when you go to sleep.
But you can’t understand why your hearing aids aren’t functioning efficiently and it’s really frustrating. Luckily, troubleshooting the issue is fairly simple. Just remember: preventing damage is your first task (otherwise replacing them might be necessary).
Your Hearing Aid Might Need Troubleshooting
Make sure you consult with your owner’s manual when doing upkeep and troubleshooting because every model of hearing aid can be a bit different. On most models, these things can be checked:
- Check your battery: Even if you’re sure your hearing aids spent the night on the charger, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it may not be a bad idea to check if those batteries are inserted correctly or if a new one fixes the issue.
- Check for noticeable damage: Cracks or loose components may develop around the shell of your hearing aids so remember to check for that. Cracks could let moisture in and might be a sign of additional damage.
- Keep your microphone clear:Sometimes, the microphone can be blocked. Your hearing aid will sound broken or silent or have feedback if the microphone is obstructed.
- Wax accumulation: Check for wax accumulation which could be stopping the standard functionality of your hearing aids. Even if you do routine cleaning, sometimes wax can accumulate quickly, so it’s worth ticking this off your list.
Each of these concerns will have a unique solution so consult your owner’s manual. Self maintenance will be possible in some cases. (But, once again, consult the instructions.)
Does my Hearing Aid Need Repair – How do I Know?
Your hearing aid will most likely need professional servicing if you keep having problems with it after carrying out these basic maintenance tasks. Because you depend on your hearing aids for all of your everyday conversations and social activities, this probably doesn’t sound very attractive.
However, it’s worth mentioning that “repair” doesn’t always mean you need to “mail your hearing aids in” for service and wait a number of weeks. In some cases, we can fix it while you wait.
So in those cases, you will be able to get your hearing aid back before the day’s end (this, of course, depends on the scope of the damage, that’s all the more reason to bring your devices in for repair as soon as you can).
There are still some circumstances where such rapid repair is not possible. And on those occasions, you could find yourself in need of a backup pair of hearing aids. So if you’ve got an old pair lying around, ask us whether they will serve temporarily. There may even be a loaner set at our office that we can loan you until yours come back.
Get Help With Your Hearing Aids Right Away
If your hearing aids are starting to fade, the audio quality is beginning to falter, it’s crucial to have it repaired.
That’s because you hope to avoid any downtime. Your general health and your mental health are impacted by untreated hearing loss. Moreover, once your hearing aids are left in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they don’t exist, all the while, your hearing progressively worsens.
The ideal way to keep your hearing healthy is to keep those hearing aids working. Keeping them charged and clean and if necessary, bringing them in for service is the easiest way to do that.