You go out of your way to be certain your hearing aids are well cared for. When you go to sleep, you always put them snuggly on the charger and you clean them daily.
But you get pretty discouraged when your hearing aids abruptly stop working the way they used to. Thankfully, there are a few measures you can take to troubleshoot the issue. Not doing any additional damage is your number one priority so you won’t need to replace them.
Hearing aid troubleshooting
You kept the owner’s manual that came with your beautiful new hearing aids, right? You’ll want to pull it out so you can utilize it for troubleshooting and, possibly, maintenance. Following your owner’s manual is important because every model of hearing aid is different.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to see if anything is blocking the microphone. Your hearing aid might feedback or merely fail to work if the microphone is blocked.
- 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 may not be a bad idea to check if those batteries are correctly inserted or if a new one fixes the problem.
- Wax accumulation: Make sure there’s no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual check. Even if you carry out routine cleaning, sometimes wax can accumulate quickly, so it’s worth ticking this off your list.
- Check for visible damage: Does your hearing aid have any noticeable loose components or cracks in its shell? If you discover cracks, it could mean that moisture is getting in and there could be more extensive damage.
Once again you can find out how to address each of these issues by referring to your owner’s manual. Self-maintenance is sometimes possible.
When does my hearing aid require repair?
Your hearing aid will probably need to be repaired professionally if you do routine upkeep and it still malfunctions. You need your hearing aids for almost every facet of your life so this may not sound that appealing.
It’s definitely worth taking note that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “send your hearing aids in for service and wait several weeks”. In some cases, we can do the repair in office and you can take it with you when you leave.
Or, you’ll be able to bring your hearing aids in for professional assistance and get them back in a matter of a few hours (this, obviously, depends on the extent of the damage, all the more reason to bring your devices in for repair as soon as you can).
There are still some cases where such fast repair isn’t possible. A backup set of hearing aids may be required in these cases. So if you have an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve on a temporary basis. Or maybe we have a loaner pair you can borrow.
Get help with your hearing aids right away
It’s crucial to get your hearing aid checked and repaired if you start to notice the sound quality is beginning to fail.
Any degree of downtime needs to be avoided. Untreated hearing loss can impact your general health, and that includes 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 gets worse and worse.
Keeping those hearing aids in excellent working order is the secret to keeping your hearing healthy. And the ideal way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when necessary, bring your hearing aids to get some professional help.