When should I upgrade my hearing aids?
This is a common question we hear from our patients, and the answer requires some thought. Although hearing aids typically have a life-span of 3-7 years, there are a few circumstances in which you may desire to upgrade sooner.
Here are 4 reasons you may want to consider a hearing aid upgrade.
1. Your hearing aids are no longer functioning well
If your hearing aids are not operating as effectively as they used to, the first thing to look into is cleaning or repair.
Hearing aids are exposed to earwax, moisture, and other particles, so your hearing aids may merely require a cleaning. In other cases, the electronics within the hearing aids need repair, but otherwise the hearing aids are still effective.
If your hearing aids are compromised beyond repair, however, or if they are past their regular life-span, you might want to upgrade to a new pair.
2. Your hearing requirements are not being fulfilled
Let’s say you secure a new job that necessitates a lot of speaking on the phone, which has consistently been a challenge for you with your existing hearing aids. You learn about a new model of hearing aid that can stream calls wirelessly from your iPhone straight to your hearing aids, leading to clear sound that you can readily adjust. In this scenario, you may want to upgrade your hearing aids to accommodate your new hearing requirements.
It’s a great idea to put together a list of all the circumstances in which your existing hearing aids are not performing to your preference. Then, by consulting with a hearing specialist, you can identify the hearing aids that can better meet your needs.
3. Your hearing has changed
Hearing can and does change through the years, and it’s a possibility that your current hearing aids, while initially sufficient, are now not capable of dealing with your hearing loss. If this is the case, you will need a new hearing examination and a new pair of hearing aids programmed to correspond to your hearing loss.
4. You want to reap the benefits of cutting edge technology
Hearing aid technology is evolving quickly; just 10 years ago it would have seemed like science-fiction to expect that you could stream music wirelessly from your iPod to your hearing aids. Each year, incredible new functionality is added to new hearing aid models, and you may find that you’d like to reap the benefits of the new technology.
For instance, perhaps you just purchased a new Apple Watch and you learned that a few of the new hearing aid models are compatible. If you want to control your hearing aids with the watch, you would need to upgrade to a appropriate model.
The decision to upgrade your hearing aids ultimately boils down to answering two questions:
- Are my current hearing aids meeting all of my listening requirements?
- Is there new technology or functionality that I would like to benefit from?
Hearing aid technology is advancing rapidly, and many of our patients are amazed to discover what the new hearing aid models are capable of. And the fact is, you can’t really answer the second question without knowing what’s available.
If you would like to learn about what some of your options are, give us a call today and we’ll explain to you all the available technology and how it could make your life better and easier. You might be surprised at what you find.
