You take care of your hearing aids. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they’re safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to sleep.
Suddenly and discouragingly, your hearing aids are no longer working the way they once did. There are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the problem, thankfully. Just remember: your main job is to refrain from damaging your hearing aid additionally (or you may have to replace them).
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
You saved the owner’s manual that came with your shiny new hearing aids, right? Hopefully, you did so that you can consult with your owner’s manual to perform maintenance and troubleshooting. Using your owner’s manual is important because every model of hearing aid is different.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids charged all night, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it might not be a bad idea to check if those batteries are inserted properly or if a new one solves the issue.
- Wax accumulation: Be certain that there’s no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual check. Wax can build up quickly even if you clean your hearing aids frequently so make sure you double check.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to find out if anything is obstructing the microphone. Your hearing aid might feedback or simply fail to work if the microphone is obstructed.
- Look for noticeable damage: Do you observe any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? Cracks, clearly, could suggest more extensive damage (or allow in moisture).
Once again you can find out how to deal with each of these issues by referring to your owner’s manual. Self-maintenance is sometimes possible.
When does my hearing aid need repair?
If your hearing aid keeps malfunctioning after you’ve performed basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. You need your hearing aids for almost every facet of your life so this may not sound very appealing.
You won’t automatically be without your hearing aid for extended periods of time just because it needs to be repaired. Sometimes, we can fix it in office and you can take it with you when you leave.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional help and have them back in just a few hours (this, obviously, depends on the degree of the damage, all the more reason to get your devices in for repair as soon as you can).
But rapid repair won’t be possible in every case. A backup set of hearing aids might be required in these cases. So if you have an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve temporarily. Or it’s possible that we have a loaner pair you can use.
Get assistance with your hearing aids right away
If the sound quality is starting to fail, it’s essential to get your hearing aids assessed and repaired.
Any degree of downtime should be avoided. Your mental health and your overall health can be impacted by untreated hearing loss. More to the point, once your hearing aids are forgotten in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they’re not there, meanwhile, your hearing gets worse and worse.
Keeping those hearing aids in good working order is the secret to keeping your hearing healthy. And the ideal way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when needed, take your hearing aids to get some professional help.