You take good care of your hearing aids. When you go to bed, you always put them comfortably on the charger and you clean them daily.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids suddenly stop working the way they used to. Fortunately, there are a few measures you can take to diagnose the issue. Just remember: your number one job is to avoid damaging your hearing aid further (or you may need to replace them).
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
Of course, when you first got your sweet new hearing aids, you made a point of putting the owner’s manual in a safe place. You’ll want to pull it out so you can use it for troubleshooting and, potentially, maintenance. Following your owner’s manual is crucial because every model of hearing aid is different.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Wax accumulation: Perform a visual inspection of your hearing aid to make sure that there’s no wax buildup interfering with standard functionality. Even if you undertake regular cleaning, sometimes wax can accumulate quickly, so it’s worth checking this off your list.
- Look for noticeable damage: Does your hearing aid have any noticeable loose components or cracks in its shell? If you find cracks, it could mean that moisture is getting in and there may be more significant damage.
- Keep your microphone clear: Look for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. An obstructed microphone can cause feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound broken or silent.
- 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 be a good idea to check if those batteries are correctly inserted or if a new one solves the problem.
Once again you can find out how to deal with each of these concerns by consulting your owner’s manual. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
When does my hearing aid require 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. That may 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).
It’s certainly worth taking note that “repair” doesn’t always mean “send 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, depending on the extent of the damage, you could get your hearing aids back in a few hours.
There are still some instances where such fast repair isn’t possible. And in those situations, you might find yourself in need of a backup set of hearing aids. Perhaps you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. Or it’s possible that we have a loaner pair you can use.
Get assistance with your hearing aids right away
If the audio quality is beginning to falter, it’s essential to get your hearing aids assessed and repaired.
Any amount of downtime needs to be avoided. Your mental health and your general health can be affected 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.
The optimum way to keep your hearing working properly is to keep those hearing aids working. And the ideal way to do that is to keep them clean, keep them charged, and, when necessary, take your hearing aids to get some professional help.