Trouble hearing? Here’s how you can know if your hearing aids require maintenance.
You take good care of your hearing aids. You baby them. You charge them every night and clean them every day.
That’s why it’s so frustrating that, suddenly and distressingly, your hearing aids aren’t working properly. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem. Just remember: avoiding damage is your number one task (or you may have to get new ones).
Troubleshooting Your Hearing Aid
Every design of hearing aid is different so use your owner manual for troubleshooting and maintenance. Here are some things you can check on most models:
- 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 level. Even rechargeable batteries have to be replaced eventually and sometimes you might not have them inserted fully.
- Check for visible damage: Check if there are any noticeable cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid. Cracks, clearly, could indicate more significant damage (or allow).
- Wax buildup: Perform a visual check of your hearing aid to ensure that there is no wax buildup interfering with standard operation. Even if you do regular cleaning, sometimes wax can build up rapidly, so it’s worth checking this off your list.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check for anything blocking the microphone of your hearing aid. Your hearing aid might sound broken or silent or have feedback if the microphone is blocked.
Again, consult your owner’s manual on how you should address each of these problems. Self maintenance will be possible in some cases. (But, once again, consult the instructions.)
Does my Hearing Aid require Repair – How do I Know?
If your hearing aid keeps malfunctioning after you have carried out basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s probable that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. Because you rely on your hearing aids for all of your basic conversations and social activities, this most likely doesn’t sound very attractive.
However, it’s worth pointing out that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “send your hearing aid out” for service and wait several weeks. There are some scenarios where it can be fixed in shop while you wait.
Meaning, in some instances, you’ll be able to bring your hearing aids in for professional maintenance and have them back in a matter of minutes or hours (this is the reason why it’s a good idea to bring your hearing aid to us so we can determine the damage).
There are still some circumstances where such rapid repair isn’t possible. And in those cases, you could find yourself in need of a backup pair of hearing aids. So if you have an old pair collecting dust, ask us whether they will work temporarily. There might even be a loaner set at our office that we can loan you until you get yours back.
Don’t Put Off Getting Help With Your Hearing Aids
It’s essential to have your hearing aids repaired as soon as you experience any falter or fading of the audio quality.
If you do this you will be more likely to prevent any downtime. Your overall health and your mental health are affected by neglected hearing loss. An even more serious concern is that your hearing will diminish as your hearing aids sit forgotten in a drawer.
The best way to get the maximum help from your hearing aids is to keep them functioning at their highest quality. Keeping them clean and charged and if necessary, bringing them in for maintenance is the best way to do that.