You take care of your hearing aids. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they are safe and snug on their charger when you go to bed.
But you get pretty discouraged when your hearing aids suddenly stop working the way they did once. There are several things you can do to troubleshoot the problem, thankfully. Not doing any further damage is your number one priority so you won’t have to replace them.
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
Naturally, when you first got your sweet new hearing aids, you made a point of storing the owner’s manual in a safe place. You’ll want to take it out so you can utilize it for troubleshooting and, possibly, maintenance. Using your owner’s manual is essential because every model of hearing aid is different.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids spent the night on the charger, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. It might be a good idea to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are correctly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
- Wax accumulation: Perform a visual inspection of your hearing aid to make sure that there is no wax buildup interfering with standard functionality. Even if you undertake routine cleaning, sometimes wax can build up quickly, so it’s worth checking this off your list.
- 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.
- Look for noticeable damage: Do you observe any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? Cracks, clearly, could suggest more extensive damage (or allow in moisture).
Once again you can discover how to deal with each of these issues by consulting your owner’s manual. Self-maintenance is sometimes possible.
When does my hearing aid need repair?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction after you’ve performed basic upkeep and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will have to be professionally repaired. That might not always sound appealing, after all, you rely 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).
It’s definitely worth noting that “repair” doesn’t necessarily mean “send your hearing aids in for service and wait several weeks”. In some cases, we can fix it in office and you can take it with you when you go.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional assistance and get them back in a matter of a few hours (this, of course, depends on the extent of the damage, all the more reason to bring your devices in for repair as soon as possible).
There are still some cases where such quick repair isn’t possible. A backup set of hearing aids might be required in these cases. Perhaps you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. Or maybe we have a loaner pair you can use.
Get assistance with your hearing aids without delay
If the sound quality is starting to falter, it’s crucial to get your hearing aids checked and repaired.
Any degree of downtime should be prevented. Neglected hearing loss can impact your general health, including your mental health. And it becomes all too easy to leave your hearing aids laying in a drawer somewhere while your hearing continues to deteriorate.
Keeping those hearing aids in excellent working order is the secret to keeping your hearing healthy. And the best way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when needed, bring your hearing aids to get some professional help.