You take good care of your hearing aids. Cleaning them daily, you make sure they’re safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to bed.
Suddenly and discouragingly, your hearing aids aren’t working the way they used to. There are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the problem, luckily. Just don’t forget: your number one job is to refrain from damaging your hearing aid further (or you might have to replace them).
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
You saved the owner’s manual that came with your beautiful new hearing aids, right? You’ll want to pull it out so you can use it for troubleshooting and, possibly, maintenance. Every model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s essential to follow the manual’s guidelines.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to check the battery power even if you had your hearing aids charging overnight. It might be a good plan to check if you might need new batteries or if the old ones are properly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
- Look for visible damage: Does your hearing aid have any noticeable loose components or cracks in its shell? Cracks, clearly, could indicate more significant damage (or let in moisture).
- Wax accumulation: Make sure there’s 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 sure you double check.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to see if anything is blocking the microphone. An obstructed microphone can create feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound broken or silent.
Once again you can discover how to address each of these issues by consulting your owner’s manual. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
How can I tell when my hearing aid requires repair?
If your hearing aid keeps malfunctioning after you have performed basic upkeep and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. You need your hearing aids for nearly every aspect of your life so this might not sound that appealing.
It’s certainly worth taking note that “repair” doesn’t necessarily mean “mail your hearing aids in for service and wait several weeks”. In some cases, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to bring 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).
There are still some cases where such rapid repair is not possible. And in those cases, you may find yourself needing a backup pair of hearing aids. So if you’ve got an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve temporarily. We might even be able to loan you a pair while you are waiting.
Get assistance with your hearing aids without delay
If the audio quality is beginning to fail, it’s essential to get your hearing aids assessed and repaired.
Any degree of downtime needs to be avoided. Neglected hearing loss can impact your general health, including your mental health. More to the point, once your hearing aids are ignored in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they’re not there, meanwhile, your hearing grows worse and worse.
The best way to keep your hearing healthy 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 repair.