You go above and beyond to ensure your hearing aids are well taken care of. When you go to bed, you always put them snuggly on the charger and you clean them daily.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids abruptly stop working the way they did once. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to diagnose the issue. Not doing any more damage is your top priority so you won’t have to replace them.
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
Of course, 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. Every model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s essential to follow the manual’s recommendations.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Wax accumulation: Perform a visual check of your hearing aid to make sure that there is no wax accumulation interfering with standard operation. Wax can build up quickly even if you clean your hearing aids regularly so make it a point to double check.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to see if anything is blocking the microphone. Your hearing aid may feedback or simply fail to work if the microphone is blocked.
- 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 might need new batteries or if the old ones are correctly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
- Check for noticeable damage: Does your hearing aid have any apparent loose components or cracks around its shell? If you find cracks, it could indicate that moisture is getting in and there may be more extensive damage.
Again, check with your owner’s manual on how you might approach each of these concerns. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
When does my hearing aid require repair?
If your hearing aid keeps malfunctioning after you have performed basic upkeep and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will have to be professionally repaired. You need your hearing aids for nearly every facet of your life so this might not sound very appealing.
You won’t automatically be without your hearing aid for lengthy periods of time just because it needs to be serviced. In some cases, we can do the repair in office and you can take it with you when you leave.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional assistance and have 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 you can).
But rapid repair will not be possible in every case. And in those situations, you might find yourself in need of a backup set of hearing aids. 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.
Get help with your hearing aids without delay
If the audio quality is starting to fail, it’s crucial to get your hearing aids assessed and repaired.
You’ll want to try to avoid any downtime. Your mental health and your general health can be impacted by neglected hearing loss. 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.
The optimum way to keep your hearing working properly is to keep those hearing aids working. Keeping them charged, clean, and when necessary, professionally repaired is the best way to do that.