I know. Boring topic. But necessary. The way your hearing aid operates may degrade over time. Moisture, dust, perspiration, hair spray; they all can have a deleterious effect. And just like your loss of hearing in the first place, this degradation can be gradual enough that you don’t immediately notice it. One patient I saw this week provides an example. His hearing aids were not functioning properly. Fortunately, all I had to do was change the microphone filters.
- Some hearing aid maintenance tips:
- Keep them clean and dry. You can get the proper tools and a hearing aid dryer from your audiologist.
- Open the battery door when you take them out.
- Some people have a problem with moist ears. Your audiologist can also get you an ear dryer.
- Have your audiologist check them at least once a year.
If your audiologist doesn’t call you at least once a year, you need to call him or her.