When should I upgrade my hearing aids?
This is a popular question we hear from our patients, and the answer requires some thought. Although hearing aids typically have a life-span of 3-7 years, there are several circumstances in which you may desire to upgrade earlier.
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 well as they once did, the first thing to look into is cleaning or repair.
Hearing aids are subjected to earwax, moisture, and other debris, so your hearing aids may simply need a cleaning. In other cases, the electronics within the hearing aids need repair, but otherwise the hearing aids remain effective.
If your hearing aids are damaged beyond repair, however, or if they are beyond their natural life-span, you may want to upgrade to a new pair.
2. Your hearing needs are not being fulfilled
Let’s say you secure a new job that will require a lot of speaking on the phone, which has regularly been a problem for you with your present hearing aids. You hear about a new kind of hearing aid that can stream calls wirelessly from your iPhone directly to your hearing aids, producing clear sound that you can readily adjust. In this situation, you may want to upgrade your hearing aids to cater to your new hearing requirements.
It’s a smart idea to create a list of all the circumstances in which your current hearing aids are not functioning to your preference. Then, by speaking with a hearing specialist, you can find the hearing aids that can better fulfill your requirements.
3. Your hearing has changed
Hearing can and does change over time, and it’s a possibility that your current 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 exam and a new pair of hearing aids programmed to complement your hearing loss.
4. You want to reap the benefits of new technology
Hearing aid technology is advancing quickly; just 10 years ago it would have seemed like science fiction to imagine that you could stream music wirelessly from your iPod to your hearing aids. Every year, incredible new functionality is added to new hearing aid models, and you may find that you’d like to reap the benefits of the new technology.
As an example, perhaps you just bought a new Apple Watch and you discovered that a couple of the new hearing aid types 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 ultimately 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 take advantage of?
Hearing aid technology is evolving quickly, and most of our patients are amazed 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.
If you would like to learn about what some of your options are, give us a call today and we’ll show you all the available technology and how it could make your life better and easier. You may be surprised at what you find.