Maico Audiological Services
When should I upgrade my hearing aids?
This is a regular question we hear from our patients, and the answer demands some thought. While hearing aids normally have a life-span of 3-7 years, there are several situations in which you may desire to upgrade sooner.
Here are 4 reasons you may want to consider an upgrade.
1. Your hearing aids are no longer working well
If your hearing aids are not functioning as effectively as they once did, the first thing to consider is cleaning or repair.
Hearing aids are exposed to earwax, moisture, and other particles, so your hearing aids may merely require a cleaning. Other times, the electronics within the hearing aids need repair, but otherwise the hearing aids remain effective.
If your hearing aids are harmed beyond repair, on the other hand, or if they are past their standard life-span, you may want to upgrade to a new pair.
2. Your hearing requirements are not being fulfilled
Let’s say you obtain a new job that necessitates a lot of speaking on the phone, which has always been a problem for you with your current hearing aids. You hear about a new type of hearing aid that can stream phone calls wirelessly from your iPhone directly to your hearing aids, producing clear sound that you can easily adjust. In this scenario, you may want to upgrade your hearing aids to cater to your new hearing requirements.
It’s a great idea to create a list of all the scenarios in which your present hearing aids are not operating to your liking. Then, by speaking with a hearing specialist, you can discover the hearing aids that can better meet your requirements.
3. Your hearing has changed
Hearing can and does change over the years, and it’s possible that your existing hearing aids, while sufficient at first, are now not capable of dealing with your hearing loss. If this is the case, you will require a new hearing test and a new pair of hearing aids programmed to match your hearing loss.
4. You want to take advantage of new technology
Hearing aid technology is evolving rapidly; just 10 years ago it would have sounded like science fiction to expect that you could stream music wirelessly from your iPod to your hearing aids. Every year, powerful new functionality is added to new hearing aid models, and you may find that you’d like to take advantage of the new technology.
As an example, maybe you just purchased a new Apple Watch and you discovered that some of the new hearing aid types are compatible. If you want to control your hearing aids with the watch, you would need to upgrade to a suitable model.
The decision to upgrade your hearing aids in the end comes down to answering two questions:
- Are my current hearing aids fulfilling all of my listening needs?
- Is there new technology or functionality that I would like to take advantage of?
Hearing aid technology is evolving rapidly, and most of our patients are surprised to discover what the new hearing aid models are capable of. And the truth is, you can’t really answer the second question without knowing what’s available to you.
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 may be surprised at what you find.