If you have hearing aids but you’re still having difficulty hearing, your hearing aids might need professional maintenance.
You take care of your hearing aids. You baby them. Cleaning them on a daily basis, you make certain they are snug on their charger when you go to sleep.
But you can’t understand why your hearing aids aren’t working effectively and it’s very frustrating. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue. Keep in mind: your number one task is to avoid damaging your hearing aid further (or else replacing them could be required).
Troubleshooting Your Hearing Aid
Every model of hearing aid is different so use your owner manual for troubleshooting and maintenance. On most models, these things can be checked:
- Wax accumulation: Do a visual inspection of your hearing aid to make sure that there is no wax accumulation preventing normal operation. Even if you do routine cleaning, occasionally wax can build up rapidly, so it’s worth checking this off your list.
- Check for visible damage: Check if there are any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid. Cracks could allow moisture in and may be an indicator of further damage.
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids spent the night on the charger, you’ll want to double-check the battery level. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it might be a good idea to check if those batteries are inserted properly or if a new one fixes the issue.
- Keep your microphone clear: Look for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. An obstructed microphone can create feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound silent or broken.
Again, check your owner’s manual on how you might approach each of these problems. Self maintenance will be possible in some cases. (But, again, read the instructions.)
When Does my Hearing Aid Require Servicing?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction after you have done basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s probable that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. Because you depend on your hearing aids for all of your everyday conversations and social activities, this most likely doesn’t sound very attractive.
But it’s essential to understand that repair doesn’t always imply sending your hearing aid away. Sometimes, we can fix it while you wait.
Meaning, in some cases, you’ll be able to bring your hearing aids in for professional maintenance and get them back within a few minutes or hours (this, of course, depends on the extent of the damage, that’s all the more reason to bring it in for repair as soon as possible).
There are still some cases where such rapid repair is not possible. A backup pair may be necessary in those cases. An old pair might be able to do a decent job as a backup so if you have an old pair, bring them in with you. We may even have some we can let you use while you wait.
Get Assistance With Your Hearing Aids Sooner Rather Than Later
It’s crucial to have your hearing aids serviced as soon as you detect any falter or fading of the audio quality.
If you do this you will be more likely to prevent any downtime. Your general health and your mental health are affected by neglected hearing loss. Moreover, once your hearing aids are left in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they don’t exist, even as, your hearing progressively worsens.
The ideal way to keep your hearing healthy is to keep those hearing aids working. Keeping them clean and charged and if necessary, bringing them in for service is the easiest way to do that.