Every year, you get your car serviced at the mechanic and your teeth cleaned at the dentist. You even take your dog to the veterinarian for a check-up.
If you have hearing aids, you can add ‘get a yearly tune-up’ to that list! A weak hearing aid is useless, so make sure yours is functioning at its best by following these hearing aid check-up tips.
Hearing Aid Tune-Up
Every six months to a year, you should get your hearing aid checked and reprogrammed to fit your hearing needs. Just as your eye doctor gives you a new eyeglasses prescription, your audiologist can adjust your hearing aid levels as needed.
Adjustments, Reprogramming, and General Care
Even a slight adjustment in programming can make a world of difference. During the tune-up, the hearing aids will also be examined to ensure they are working properly, so it is imperative to get this checked regularly, particularly since many manufacturers offer this type of customer service for free.
Many hearing clinics, like Audicus, offer ongoing support and services to ensure you’re able to get the most out of your hearing aids. If you need help with your hearing aids, you might consider heading over to a local clinic where a licensed professional can assist you.
There are also several adjustments you can make at home to improve the quality of your hearing aid experience. We’ll go over some hearing aid maintenance tips below, so you can keep your hearing aids at optimal performance at all times.
Changing Hearing Aid Batteries
There is a slew of batteries compatible with hearing aids, but to make things easier, the batteries are color-coded for each hearing aid. If you are unsure which battery works with your hearing aid, open the battery door and take a peek inside.
You will know when to change the battery when your hearing aid starts beeping or you notice a decrease in the hearing aid’s power. Expect to change the battery every three to ten days, depending on your device. Changing the battery is one of the simple ways to maintain the lifespan of your hearing aid.
Cleaning Your Hearing Aid
Because of the placement of a hearing aid inside your ear, it’s easy to get wax or residue build-up, which blocks the sound from moving through the hearing aid and into your ear. In order to maintain the effectiveness of the hearing aid, you can regularly clean your hearing aids at home.
Start with a gentle cloth rub of the hearing aid with a dry cloth. This will get rid of the outside debris. You can then remove the dome (if your hearing aid has one) and clean the inside with a brush – a dry toothbrush will work just fine.
The dome is the rubbery portion that goes inside the ear. You can also change the wax guard on your hearing aid with a little more effort involved. This requires having a replacement wax guard and a special tool.
Some manufacturers have special hearing aid cleaning services they provide and manufacturers will do all the cleaning for you for a small fee.
Hearing Aid Improvements
Over the course of three to five years, the technology behind hearing aids vastly improves. Whether it is the size, effectiveness, or features, advancements are regularly made to hearing aids.
The processing speeds can quicken, wireless connections can be improved, and settings are added to decrease feedback and increase hearing. As technology evolves with cell phones, televisions, and streaming devices, hearing aid tech will have to keep up.
During a regular hearing aid tune-up, your audiologist may recommend purchasing an all-new pair to improve your hearing further, particularly with older pairs.
Keep up to date with your hearing aids, and prevent future hearing loss!