You go out of your way to ensure your hearing aids are well taken care of. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they’re safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to sleep.
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, luckily. Just remember: your number one job is to avoid damaging your hearing aid additionally (or you may have to replace them).
Hearing aid troubleshooting
Of course, when you first got your sweet new hearing aids, you made a point of putting the owner’s manual in a safe spot. Hopefully, you did so that you can check with your owner’s manual to do maintenance and troubleshooting. Using your owner’s manual is essential because every model of hearing aid is different.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Look for noticeable damage: Do you see any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? If you discover cracks, it could mean that moisture is getting in and there could be more extensive damage.
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to assess the battery power even if you had your hearing aids charging overnight. It may be a good plan to check if you might need new batteries or if the old ones are properly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to see if anything is blocking the microphone. Your hearing aid might feedback or simply fail to work if the microphone is blocked.
- Wax buildup: Do a visual inspection of your hearing aid to ensure that there’s no wax accumulation interfering with standard operation. Even if you carry out regular cleaning, sometimes wax can build up quickly, so it’s worth ticking this off your list.
Again, consult your owner’s manual on how you should address each of these issues. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
When does my hearing aid need repair?
If your hearing aid keeps malfunctioning after you have performed basic upkeep and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. You need your hearing aids for almost every aspect of your life so this may not sound that appealing.
You won’t necessarily be without your hearing aid for extended periods of time just because it needs to be serviced. In some instances, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, depending on the degree of the damage, you could get your hearing aids back in a few hours.
There are still some cases where such rapid repair isn’t possible. A backup pair of hearing aids might be required in these cases. Maybe you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. Or it’s possible that we have a loaner pair you can use.
Get assistance with your hearing aids without delay
If the audio quality is starting to fail, it’s essential to get your hearing aids checked and repaired.
Any degree of downtime should be avoided. Neglected hearing loss can affect your overall health, and that includes your mental health. More to the point, once your hearing aids are ignored in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they’re not there, all the while, your hearing grows worse and worse.
The optimum way to keep your hearing working properly is to keep those hearing aids working. And the best way to do that is to keep them clean, keep them charged, and, when necessary, take your hearing aids to get some professional help.