You go out of your way to ensure your hearing aids are well taken care of. When you go to sleep, you always put them comfortably on the charger and you clean them every day.
But you get pretty discouraged when your hearing aids suddenly stop working the way they used to. There are several things you can do to diagnose the issue, luckily. Not doing any additional 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 storing the owner’s manual in a safe place. You’ll want to take it out so you can utilize it for troubleshooting and, potentially, maintenance. Using your owner’s manual is important because every model of hearing aid is different.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Keep your microphone clear: Check for anything blocking the microphone of your hearing aid. Your hearing aid may feedback or merely fail to work if the microphone is obstructed.
- Check for visible damage: Do you notice any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? If you find cracks, it could suggest that moisture is getting in and there might be more extensive damage.
- Wax buildup: Be certain that there is 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 on the charger overnight. It may be a good plan to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are properly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
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.
How can I tell when my hearing aid requires repair?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction after you have performed basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. That may not always sound desirable, after all, you rely on your hearing aid for day-to-day communication (not to mention dinners with your family, keeping up to date with your favorite Netflix series, and so on).
It’s certainly worth noting that “repair” doesn’t necessarily mean “mail your hearing aids in for service and wait a few weeks”. In some instances, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to bring your hearing aids in for professional assistance and get them back in a matter of 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 you can).
But fast repair won’t be possible in all cases. A backup set of hearing aids may be necessary in these cases. Maybe you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. We might even be able to loan you a pair while you are waiting.
Don’t wait to get help with your hearing aids
It’s crucial to have your hearing aid checked and repaired if you start to notice the sound quality is beginning to fail.
You’ll want to try to avoid any downtime. Untreated hearing loss can impact your overall health, and that includes your mental health. More to the point, once your hearing aids are forgotten in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they don’t exist, all the while, your hearing gets worse and worse.
Keeping those hearing aids in good working order is the secret to keeping your hearing healthy. And the ideal way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when necessary, bring your hearing aids to get some professional repair.