When should I upgrade my hearing aids?
This is a popular question we hear from our patients, and the answer demands some thought. Although hearing aids typically have a life-span of 3-7 years, there are several situations in which you may want to upgrade earlier.
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 performing as well as they used to, the first thing to consider is cleaning or repair.
Hearing aids are exposed to earwax, humidity, and other particles, so your hearing aids may simply need a cleaning. Other times, the electronics within the hearing aids require repair, but otherwise the hearing aids are still effective.
If your hearing aids are harmed beyond repair, however, or if they are past their standard life-span, you may want to upgrade to a new set.
2. Your hearing needs are not being met
Let’s say you secure a new job that requires a lot of talking on the phone, which has regularly been a challenge for you with your existing hearing aids. You hear about a new kind of hearing aid that can stream phone calls wirelessly from your iPhone straight to your hearing aids, resulting in clear sound that you can readily adjust. In this scenario, you may want to upgrade your hearing aids to accommodate your new hearing needs.
It’s a smart idea to put together a list of all the scenarios in which your present hearing aids are not functioning to your liking. Then, by consulting with a hearing specialist, you can identify the hearing aids that can better fulfill your requirements.
3. Your hearing has changed
Hearing can and does change throughout the years, and it’s possible that your present 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 correspond to your hearing loss.
4. You want to reap the benefits of new technology
Hearing aid technology is evolving quickly; just 10 years ago it would have seemed like science-fiction to believe that you could stream music wirelessly from your iPod to your hearing aids. Each 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.
For instance, maybe you just bought a new Apple Watch and you learned that a couple of the new hearing aid models are compatible. If you wish to control your hearing aids with the watch, you would need to upgrade to a compatible 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 requirements?
- Is there new technology or functionality that I would like to benefit from?
Hearing aid technology is evolving quickly, and many of our patients are surprised to find out 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.