4 Ways to Extend the Life of Your Hearing Aids

If you wear a hearing aid, then you will know what a difference they can make to your life. You may feel as though you can hear conversations better, and that you are also able to regain lost confidence. That being said, if you do not keep your hearing aid well-maintained then you may find that it ends up getting damaged, which means you could be without it for several days. Luckily. It’s more than possible for you to extend the life of your hearing aid, while also ensuring that you keep it in top condition, all year round. Here are some great tips on maintaining and extending the life of your hearing aids.

Clean them Daily

The first thing you need to do is clean your hearing aids every time you put them on. Your hearing aids will be exposed to sunlight and numerous weather conditions as the months go by. When you first received your hearing aids, your audiologist may have told you how to clean them, as well as showing you how to take out the wax filter if you notice it is blocked. If you have forgotten how to do this, or if you aren’t sure how to clean the specific hearing aids you have then you can go back to your audiologist and see if they can give you a refresher.

You can also check the manual for your hearing aids, or if you have a smartphone app, see if there are any helpful videos on the device you have. This is a great way for you to get the refresher you need.

Professional Cleaning

Daily cleaning is important, but that being said, you also need to have your hearing aids cleaned professionally. Getting this done a few times a year is always a good thing. If you do this, then your audiologist will check the hearing aid for any wax and dead skin. They will also clean the battery, and any of the tubing. If the tubing needs replacing, they can take care of this for you as well. Minor maintenance, such as replacing battery doors, the microphone cover or even external speaker tweaks can be carried out at this point as well, so it’s not hard to see how getting this done could be beneficial.

Getting your hearing aids cleaned professionally and then cleaning them daily on top of that, will help to extend the lifespan of your hearing aid and it will also keep it functioning at its highest level.

Changing the Earmold

Changing your earmold regularly is so important. If you have a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid, then the mold will have an impact on how long your hearing aid lasts. Domes have to be changed, or at least updated regularly. If you are having a hard time keeping your hearing aid in, or if you are dealing with an annoying whistling sound then it’s important to talk with your audiologist. They can then change your domes to custom molds.

Sometimes, easy-fit domes might not work for you and trying a different coupling system can help to extend the life expectancy of your hearing aid. Your audiologist will make an impression of the inside of your ear, to ensure that it fits better and that it is the perfect design for you.

Keep Your Hearing Aid Dry

It’s so important that you keep your hearing aid as dry as possible. If you don’t keep your hearing aid dry, then you won’t be able to protect the computerized components very well. A lot of quality hearing aids come with technology that repels moisture very well but sweat and oil can still be an issue. Humidity in the air can also cause problems. If your hearing aids do get exposed to excess moisture then this can cause corrosion, especially within the battery compartment.

Some hearing aids come with a rechargeable battery, and they also come with desiccant capsules within the charging case. Some audiologists will give you a dehumidifier when you buy a hearing aid as well. If you haven’t got one yet then invest in one as soon as you can, because if you do then it will help to extend the lifespan of your hearing aid, quite a lot.

If you want to learn more about hearing aids, or if you want to make sure that yours are lasting as long as they possibly can then one thing you can do is call EarTech Audiology. You can call us today at (866) 464-1008.