You go above and beyond to be certain your hearing aids are well cared for. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they are safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to sleep.
Suddenly and discouragingly, your hearing aids are no longer working the way they used to. There are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the issue, thankfully. Not doing any further damage is your number one priority so you won’t need to replace them.
Hearing aid troubleshooting
Naturally, when you first got your nice new hearing aids, you made a point of putting the owner’s manual in a safe spot. Hopefully, you did so that you can consult with your owner’s manual to perform maintenance and troubleshooting. 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:
- Look for visible damage: Do you observe any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? If you discover cracks, it could mean that moisture is getting in and there may be more extensive damage.
- Wax buildup: Make sure there’s no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual inspection. Wax can build up quickly even if you clean your hearing aids frequently so make it a point to double check.
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to check the battery power even if you had your hearing aids charging at night. It may be a good idea to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are correctly inserted, especially if your batteries are replaceable.
- Keep your microphone clear: Look for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. Your hearing aid may feedback or merely fail to work if the microphone is obstructed.
Again, check with your owner’s manual on how you might approach each of these issues. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
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 have to be professionally repaired. That may not always sound desirable, after all, you depend on your hearing aid for daily communication (not to mention dinners with your family, staying up to date with your favorite Netflix series, and so on).
You won’t necessarily be without your hearing aid for lengthy periods of time just because it needs to be repaired. In some cases, we can repair your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional assistance and get them back in just a few hours (this, of course, depends on the degree of the damage, all the more reason to bring your devices in for repair as soon as possible).
But quick repair will not be possible in every case. A backup set of hearing aids may be necessary in these cases. So if you’ve got an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve temporarily. 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 starting to falter, it’s essential to get your hearing aids checked and repaired.
You’ll want to prevent any downtime. Neglected hearing loss can affect your overall health, and that includes your mental health. Moreover, once your hearing aids are forgotten in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they don’t exist, meanwhile, your hearing gets worse and worse.
The optimum way to keep your hearing healthy is to keep those hearing aids working. Keeping them charged, clean, and when necessary, professionally repaired is the best way to do that.