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 bed.
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 diagnose the issue, luckily. Not doing any additional damage is your top priority so you won’t have to replace them.
Troubleshooting your hearing aid
You saved the owner’s manual that came with your beautiful new hearing aids, right? Hopefully, you did so that you can check with your owner’s manual to undertake maintenance and troubleshooting. Every model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s essential to follow the manual’s guidelines.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- 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. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it may not be a bad idea to check if those batteries are correctly inserted or if a new one fixes the issue.
- Wax buildup: Perform a visual check of your hearing aid to ensure that there is no wax accumulation interfering with basic functionality. Even if you carry out regular cleaning, sometimes wax can build up quickly, so it’s worth ticking this off your list.
- Look for noticeable damage: Do you observe any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? Cracks, clearly, could suggest more extensive damage (or allow in moisture).
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to find out if anything is obstructing the microphone. Your hearing aid might feedback or merely fail to work if the microphone is obstructed.
Once again you can learn how to deal with each of these concerns by referring to your owner’s manual. 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 maintenance 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.
It’s certainly worth taking note that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “mail your hearing aids in for service and wait a few weeks”. In some cases, we can repair your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, depending on the degree of the damage, you could have your hearing aids back in a few hours.
But quick repair will not be possible in all cases. A backup set of hearing aids might be required in these cases. Maybe you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. We may even be able to loan you a pair while you are waiting.
Get assistance with your hearing aids right away
If the sound quality is beginning to fail, it’s essential to get your hearing aids assessed and repaired.
You’ll want to avoid any downtime. Your mental health and your general health can be affected by untreated hearing loss. And it becomes all too easy to leave your hearing aids sitting in a drawer somewhere while your hearing continues to diminish.
Keeping those hearing aids in good working order is the key to keeping your hearing healthy. 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 repair.
