Tips To Keep Your Hearing Aids Working For You

Whether you are a lifelong wearer of hearing aids like me or a newbie trying to cope with wearing hearing aids daily, it’s important to remember that proper care of your hearing aids will ensure that your hearing aids will take care of you.  Most of these tips can be found in various forums and websites throughout the internet. Some of them are from my personal experiences that I come to acquire as a lifetime wearer of hearing aids.

The picture above is actually one of my new hearing aids that I acquired almost 8 months ago. It's a Phonak Naida S BTE model. It’s one of the best hearing aids I have ever owned. Click the link If you would like to learn more about Phonak Hearing Aids

TIPS TO ENSURE THAT YOUR HEARING AIDS WORK PROPERLY

Invest in a hearing aid dehumidifier

Moisture is the number one enemy of hearing aids. From the weather to your daily perspiration, you cannot avoid getting moisture in your hearing aids therefore you should invest in a dehumidifier. Obtaining a dehumidifier is relatively inexpensive. There are commercial grade dehumidifiers out there but you really don’t need one. I currently use Acu-Life Dri-Eze Hearing Aid Dehumidifier. The product is available at Walgreens for $4.99. You would need to replace it about every 6-8 months. If you use your dehumidifier each night you’re going to add life to your hearing aids.

Clean your hearing aids

Ear wax buildup can cause your hearing aids to malfunction or even worse stop working. Ear wax occurs naturally and it's beneficial to your ear health. You cannot stop creating earwax but you can prevent ear wax from harming your hearing aids. You should develop a daily routine to clean your hearing aids especially if you have the custom ITE hearing aids. I remember a time when I use to own the ITE hearing aids. It stopped working one day, so when I went to get the hearing aid repaired thinking the worse. Luckily, my audiologist stated that I had an excessive of earwax build up which plugged up the canal of my ITE hearing aids. Whether you have the ITE or BTE hearing aids, you should clean your hearing aids as often as possible. Ask your hearing aid specialist on the best ways to remove wax build up in your hearing aids since there are different care instructions for the various different hearing aids out there. You should routinely clean wipe off the outer case of your hearing aids. You should clear out excessive earwax that builds up in the opening of your receiver and tubing if you have BTE ear molds. You should clean off dirt and wax away from your microphone screens. Also, you should take your hearing aids into your audiologist’s office at least every 6 to 8 months for a professional cleaning. Like Ben Franklin said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Replace BTE custom ear molds and tubing

If you have BTE hearing aids like me. You should be replacing your ear molds and tubing. The tubing will eventually harden over time. Once your tubing becomes inflexible and brittle it can lead to cracking or tearing of the tube which will prevent any sounds from traveling from the hearing aid to your ear. It is recommended that the tubing should be replaced every 6 to 8 months. Ear molds should be replaced every 12-18 months or recommended by your hearing aid specialist. Like tubing, ear molds will become hard and inflexible. Plus they will discolor over time too.

Secure your hearing aids

You should secure your hearing aids away from potential hazards that may cause reparable harm to your hearing aids. If you own pets, you should make sure that you secure your hearing aids away from the reach of pets. I have lost two sets of hearing aids in my life because of pets. Apparently, hearing aids attract pets. I think it’s because of the ear wax scent. Anyways, both times my pets decided that my hearing aids were a tasty treat. As you can imagine the horror on my face after finding pieces of my hearing aids scatter throughout room after my beloved dog got curious and hungry. Luckily, Fido didn't eat my hearing aid battery since that can be fatal. You should use common sense and think about the potential hazards before you just lay your hearing aids out on the counter or nightstand.

Although, there are many other tips out there that I haven’t mentioned. In my opinion, these tips are the most important to ensure that your hearing aids are there for you. If you have tips or want to share an experience with your hearing aid, I would love to hear from you.