You go out of your way to ensure your hearing aids are well taken care of. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they’re safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to bed.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids abruptly stop working the way they used to. There are a few things you can do to diagnose the problem, luckily. Just don’t forget: your main job is to avoid damaging your hearing aid further (or you may have to replace them).
Hearing aid troubleshooting
You saved the owner’s manual that came with your shiny new hearing aids, right? You’ll want to get it out so you can utilize it for troubleshooting and, potentially, maintenance. Following your owner’s manual is essential because every model of hearing aid is different.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Wax accumulation: Make sure there is no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual inspection. Wax can accumulate quickly even if you clean your hearing aids regularly so make it a point to double check.
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to check the battery power even if you had your hearing aids charging at night. It may be a good plan to check if you might need new batteries or if the old ones are correctly inserted, especially if your batteries are replaceable.
- Check for noticeable damage: Does your hearing aid have any obvious loose components or cracks around its shell? Cracks, obviously, could suggest more significant damage (or allow in moisture).
- Keep your microphone clear: Look for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. An obstructed microphone can create feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound broken or silent.
Again, check with your owner’s manual on how you might approach each of these concerns. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
How will I know when my hearing aid requires repair?
Your hearing aid will probably need to be repaired professionally if you do routine upkeep and it still malfunctions. That might not always sound desirable, after all, you depend on your hearing aid for day-to-day communication (along with dinners with your family, keeping up to date with your favorite Netflix series, and so on).
You won’t necessarily be without your hearing aid for extended periods of time just because it needs to be repaired. In some cases, we can do the repair in office and you can take it with you when you go.
Or, depending on the degree of the damage, you could have your hearing aids back in a few hours.
But fast repair will not be possible in every case. A backup set of hearing aids might be required in these situations. So if you have an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve on a temporary basis. We might even be able to loan you a pair while you are waiting.
Get help with your hearing aids right away
It’s crucial to get your hearing aid assessed and repaired if you begin to notice the audio quality is beginning to fail.
You’ll want to prevent any downtime. Your mental health and your overall health can be impacted by untreated hearing loss. And it becomes all too easy to leave your hearing aids sitting in a drawer somewhere while your hearing continues to decline.
Keeping those hearing aids in excellent working order is the key to keeping your hearing healthy. 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.