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Your hearing aids were likely pretty darn expensive. Here are ten ways to get the most out of your hearing aid investment. Many people, including me, have learned some of these ways in the school of hard knocks. 1) KEEP YOUR HEARING AIDS AWAY FROM PETS Pets like hearing aids! I had a cat that LOVED licking the wax off my ear molds. So if my aids were anywhere out in the open, in the morning they’d be on the floor clean as a whistle. Fortunately, I did not ever step on them. But I sure could have! I’ve heard from others that they have had some serious hearing aid damage when their dog got a hold one. So, keep those aids in a cabinet or drawer where a pet cannot access them. 2) KEEP HEARING AIDS AWAY FROM TODDLERS AND CHILDREN They may be curious, but your hearing aids are very fragile, and the child may not know what “careful” means. Keep your aids in your ears or out of sight of the young ones. 3) PUT YOUR HEARING AIDS ON AFTER APPLYING MAKEUP AND STYLING YOUR HAIR Hairspray and make-up can clog up the microphone of the hearing aid. If that happens, you pay a visit to the audiologist or hearing specialist to get the aid(s) fixed. 4) AVOID MELING YOUR HEARING AID Hearing aids are encased in plastic. Plastic melts. I once hung my hearing aids on a lamp shade. Yes, the heat of the light bulb melted the aids. Having aids close to cooking appliances is risky. You may wonder how one could have an aid close to an appliance? Easy! The phone rings while, in the kitchen or outside barbecuing, phone rings, you remove the aid, lay it down, and forget about it. 5) DON'T LET THE HEARING AID TUBING GET TOO STIFF I was NEVER told until I acquired the services of my newest audiologist that the tubing on aids should be changed every 2-3 months for maximum effectiveness. Why? As the tubes grow stiff, the sound moving through them bounces off the walls compromising the quality of the sound passing into the aid. Time flies, I often forget to get my tubing changed. But when I suddenly realize I just can’t hear that well with the hearing aids "for some reason" - I check the tubing! More often than not, it is stiff. 6) CHANGE THE BATTERIES OFTEN With my latest hearing aids, when the batteries are dying I get a beeping noise. Prior to these aids, I did not have that feature. The batteries would slowly wane and the quality of hearing dissipating simultaneously. I often did not notice that until the battery went completely dead. I can’t tell you how often to change your batteries as it depends on the type of battery, how often you wear your hearing aids and for how long. Check with your audiologist or hearing aid specialist. 7) KEEP THE AIDS FROM MOISTURE Exposure to too much moisture can harm the electrical parts of a hearing aid. I store mine in my bathroom where I take a bath, but they are in a container that resists moisture. Take care when sweating too. I don’t wear my aids when I am exercising. But I do wear them in the heat of the Southern California summer, and I sweat. You can purchase what is called a drying kit to wick that moisture away from the aids. 8) CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK YOUR EARS BEFORE ENTERING WATER Get into the habit of checking your ears any time you step into the shower, bath or pool. The day will come when you are so used to wearing your hearing aids you’ll forget they are on. I always stick my fingers in my ears before I hop into the shower or dive into the ocean to make sure I have my aids off. 9) KEEP AIDS FROM GETTING TOO COLD I don’t have this problem. I live in Southern California. But those who live in the extreme cold, guard the aids. I find that a sock hat goes nicely over my aids and doesn’t cause feedback. Extreme cold (or hot) can cause the casing to melt or crack, and the digital chip harmed. No digital chip, no aids. 10) DON'T LOSE YOUR AIDS My audiologist indicated that the danger of taking an aid off to talk on the phone is walking off and leaving it behind. I usually try to stay conscious and put the aid in a pocket or purse. (Of course, if it is in a pocket, make sure it doesn’t accidentally go in the wash!) At home have specifically designated spots where you store your hearing aids and try not to deviate from those spots. There are usually only three places I put my hearing aids – in one of two drawers in my bathroom, in the medicine cabinet downstairs, or in a special pocket in my purse. If they aren’t there, I panic a bit. It means I took my hearing aids off without paying attention, and they could be anywhere. I try to stay conscious when I take those aids off as to remember where I put them. Not only to easily find them, but that they are not in a location that could expose them to harm. Here is a perfect example of what I mean. One evening I was laying on the sofa watching TV. Closed captioning was on, and I didn’t need the aids. I wanted to take them off but felt too lazy to get up and put them in one of my designated spots. So I took them off and placed them on the windowsill. The window was open. FORTUNATELY I remembered to grab them and put them in one of their designated spots before going to bed. But if I had forgotten, rain, or even the morning dew, could damage the aids. And, of course, if I still had that cat that loved ear wax, the hearing aids would be on the floor… In conclusion, I recommend protecting your investment by acquiring hearing aid insurance. We insure our cars. Our homes. Insure your hearing aids. You do pay a deductible, but it is MUCH less expensive than paying another several thousand to replace a hearing aid or two.
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seniors, hearing aids, hearing loss, hard of hearing, hearing impaired,
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