If you have hearing aids but you’re still having problems hearing, your hearing aids may require professional maintenance.
You take good care of your hearing aids. You’re very cautious with your hearing aids. You charge them every night and clean them daily.
That’s why it’s so annoying that, suddenly and distressingly, your hearing aids aren’t working the way they should. The good news is, troubleshooting the problem is fairly straight forward. Keep in mind: avoiding damage is your first task (or you might have to replace them).
Your Hearing Aid Might Need Troubleshooting
Every model of hearing aid is different so make use of your owner manual for troubleshooting and maintenance. On most models, these things can be checked:
- Wax buildup: Do a visual check of your hearing aid to make sure that there is no wax accumulation interfering with normal operation. Wax builds up quickly so even if you have a routine cleaning schedule you still need to pay attention to this.
- Look for noticeable damage: Loose components or cracks may occur around the shell of your hearing aids so don’t forget to check for that. Cracks could let moisture in and might be an indicator of additional damage.
- Keep your microphone clear:Sometimes, the microphone can be obstructed. Your hearing aid can sound broken or silent or have feedback if the microphone is blocked.
- Check your battery: Always double check your battery power even if you are certain your hearing aid charged all night. Even rechargeable batteries have to be replaced sooner or later and sometimes you might not have them fully inserted.
Each of these issues will have its own strategy so check your owner’s manual. Self maintenance will be a possibility in some cases. (Your owner’s manual is the best place to begin.)
Does my Hearing Aid Need servicing – How Can I Tell?
Your hearing aid will probably require professional servicing if you keep having problems with it after performing these basic maintenance duties. Because you rely on your hearing aids for all of your basic conversations and social activities, this probably doesn’t sound very appealing.
However, it’s worth pointing out that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “mail your hearing aids in” for service and wait a few weeks. There are some scenarios where it can be repaired in shop while you wait.
Meaning, in some instances, 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 scope of the damage, that’s all the more reason to bring your devices in for repair as soon as possible).
Not all cases can be addressed in house though. A backup pair may be required in those cases. An old pair might be able to do an adequate job as a backup so bring them in with you if you have a pair. There might even be a loaner set at our office that you can use until yours come back.
Don’t Wait to Get Help For Your Hearing Aids
If your hearing aids are beginning to fade, the sound quality is starting to falter, it’s crucial to have it repaired.
That’s because you really want to eliminate any downtime. Untreated hearing loss can affect your total health, including your mental health. More to the point, once your hearing aids are ignored in a box somewhere, it’s very easy to pretend they don’t exist, all the while, your hearing progressively worsens.
Your best chance of getting the maximum help from your hearing aids is to keep them functioning at their highest quality. Keeping them clean and charged and if necessary, taking them in for service is the easiest way to do that.