You take good care of your hearing aids. When you go to sleep, you always put them snuggly on the charger and you clean them every day.
Suddenly and discouragingly, your hearing aids are no longer working the way they once did. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to diagnose the problem. Just remember: your main job is to avoid damaging your hearing aid further (or you may need to replace them).
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
Of course, when you first got your nice new hearing aids, you made a point of putting the owner’s manual in a safe place. Hopefully, you did so that you can consult with your owner’s manual to perform maintenance and troubleshooting. Each model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s important to follow the manual’s guidelines.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Keep your microphone clear: Check for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. Your hearing aid might feedback or simply fail to work if the microphone is obstructed.
- Check for visible damage: Do you observe any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? If you discover cracks, it could indicate that moisture is getting in and there may be more extensive damage.
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids charged all night, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. It may be a good plan to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are properly inserted, especially if your batteries are replaceable.
- Wax buildup: Perform a visual check of your hearing aid to ensure that there’s no wax accumulation interfering with standard operation. Wax can accumulate quickly even if you clean your hearing aids frequently so make sure you double check.
Again, consult your owner’s manual on how you should approach each of these concerns. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
How will I know when my hearing aid needs repair?
Your hearing aid will most likely need to be repaired professionally if you do routine maintenance and it still malfunctions. That might not always sound desirable, after all, you rely on your hearing aid for day-to-day communication (not to mention dinners with your family, keeping up to date with your favorite Netflix series, and so on).
You won’t automatically be without your hearing aid for lengthy periods of time just because it needs to be serviced. In some cases, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional assistance and have them back in a matter of a few hours (this, of course, depends on the degree of the damage, all the more reason to get your devices in for repair as soon as possible).
But rapid repair will not be possible in every case. A backup pair of hearing aids may be required in these situations. So if you’ve got an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve on a temporary basis. We may even be able to loan you a pair while you are waiting.
Get assistance with your hearing aids without delay
It’s essential to get your hearing aid assessed and repaired if you start to notice the audio quality is beginning to falter.
You’ll want to avoid any downtime. Neglected hearing loss can impact your overall health, including your mental health. And it becomes all too easy to leave your hearing aids sitting in a drawer somewhere while your hearing continues to decline.
The best way to keep your hearing working properly is to keep those hearing aids working. And the ideal way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when necessary, take your hearing aids to get some professional help.
