You take good care of your hearing aids. Cleaning them daily, you make sure they are safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to bed.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids suddenly stop working the way they used to. There are several things you can do to troubleshoot the problem, luckily. Not doing any more damage is your number one priority so you won’t need to replace them.
Hearing aid troubleshooting
Of course, when you first got your sweet new hearing aids, you made a point of storing the owner’s manual in a safe spot. You’ll want to pull it out so you can utilize it for troubleshooting and, potentially, maintenance. Each model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s important to follow the manual’s recommendations.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Wax accumulation: Perform a visual check of your hearing aid to make sure that there’s no wax accumulation interfering with standard operation. Even if you perform routine cleaning, sometimes wax can accumulate quickly, so it’s worth checking this off your list.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check for anything blocking the microphone of your hearing aid. A blocked microphone can create feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound broken or quiet.
- Check for visible damage: Does your hearing aid have any noticeable loose components or cracks around its shell? Cracks, clearly, could indicate more extensive damage (or let in moisture).
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids charged all night, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. It might be a good plan to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are correctly inserted, especially if your batteries are replaceable.
Once again you can discover how to deal with each of these concerns by referring to your owner’s manual. Self-maintenance is sometimes possible.
When does my hearing aid require repair?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction 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 almost every facet of your life so this might not sound really appealing.
You won’t automatically be without your hearing aid for extended periods of time just because it needs to be serviced. In some instances, we can repair your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional help and get them back in a matter of 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. And in those situations, you may find yourself needing a backup pair of hearing aids. Maybe you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. 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 have your hearing aid checked and repaired if you begin to notice the sound quality is starting to falter.
You’ll want to try to avoid any downtime. Your mental health and your general health can be impacted by untreated hearing loss. Moreover, once your hearing aids are forgotten in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they’re not there, meanwhile, your hearing grows worse and worse.
The optimum 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 help.
