Trouble hearing? Here’s how to know if your hearing aids require repair.
You take good care of your hearing aids. You’re very careful with your hearing aids. You charge them every night and clean them every day.
That’s why it’s so irritating that, abruptly and distressingly, your hearing aids are no longer working the way they should. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem. Just remember: avoiding damage is your number one task (or you might have to replace them).
Your Hearing Aid Might Need Troubleshooting
Make sure you consult with your owner’s manual when doing maintenance and troubleshooting because every model of hearing aid can be a bit different. Here are a few things you can check on most models:
- Examine your battery: Always double check your battery level even if you’re certain your hearing aid charged all night. If your hearing aid has changeable batteries, it might not be a bad idea to check if those batteries are inserted correctly or if a new one fixes the issue.
- Wax accumulation: Do a visual examination of your hearing aid to ensure that there is no wax accumulation preventing normal operation. Wax builds up rapidly so even if you have a regular cleaning schedule you still need to pay attention to this.
- Keep your microphone clear:Sometimes, the microphone can be obstructed. A blocked microphone can create feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound silent or broken.
- Look for noticeable damage: Loose components or cracks could appear around the shell of your hearing aids so don’t forget to inspect for that. Cracks, clearly, could reveal more extensive damage (or allow).
Each of these concerns will have its own solution so check your owner’s manual. In some cases, you might be able to perform maintenance on your own. (But, again, consult the instructions.)
Does my Hearing Aid require servicing – How do I Know?
Your hearing aid will probably need professional servicing if you continue to have issues with it after carrying out these basic maintenance duties. Because you depend on your hearing aids for all of your everyday conversations and social activities, this most likely doesn’t sound very attractive.
However, it’s worth noting that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “send your hearing aid out” for service and wait several weeks. Sometimes, we can fix it while you wait.
Meaning, in some instances, you’ll be able to bring your hearing aids in for professional maintenance and have them back in a matter of minutes or hours (this, of course, depends on the severity of the damage, that’s all the more reason to bring it in for repair as soon as you can).
Not all scenarios can be addressed in house though. And in those cases, you may find yourself needing a backup pair of hearing aids. An old pair may be able to do a decent job as a backup so bring them in with you if you have a pair. There may even be a loaner pair at our office that we can loan you until you get yours back.
Don’t Put Off Getting Help For Your Hearing Aids
It’s essential to have your hearing aids serviced as soon as you notice any falter or fading of the sound quality.
If you do this you will be more likely to eliminate any downtime. Your general health and your mental health are impacted by neglected hearing loss. An even more serious concern is that your hearing will get worse as your hearing aids sit ignored in a drawer.
Your best chance of getting the maximum help from your hearing aids is to keep them working at their highest quality. Keeping them clean and charged and if necessary, taking them in for maintenance is the easiest way to do that.