
Hearing aids can bring great relief to a person who has hearing loss, but they don’t last forever. With either time, a physical change, or other variables, you might find that the hearing aids you have aren’t helping you like they used to. Here are some signs that you might need new hearing aids.
You’ve had a change in your hearing
Different models of hearing aids are designed to fit a specific range of hearing loss. When you purchase your hearing aids, your audiologist should make sure that they can accommodate an increase in your hearing loss. However, if your hearing changes a great deal, you may go outside of the range for which the hearing aids were designed. Hearing aids are also more likely to produce feedback if you push their limits.
You should first clean and check your current hearing aids to make sure they are still working properly. You will want to know that the change in your hearing is due to your ears, not due to a failure in your devices.
You should then get a hearing test to find out why your hearing changed. If your hearing has changed suddenly or only in one ear, your audiologist may advise you to get a medical evaluation to make sure that you don’t have a problem that needs to be treated.
Getting new hearing aids that better fit your current level of hearing loss will help you to hear better, which in turn leads to many other benefits. Your new hearing aids will have enough power to give you the sound you need without feedback.
Your custom-made hearing aids don’t fit well
Over time, the shape of your ear may change and custom-made hearing aids or earmolds may no longer fit as well as they once did. Sometimes, custom hearing aids or earmolds can be reshaped to fit your ears, but this comes with a cost. The money spent on a remold could possibly be better invested in a new pair of hearing aids. Your audiologist can help you investigate the cost of a reshape versus the cost of a new pair of hearing aids.
Better-fitting hearing aids will fit snugly in your ears, have less feedback, and deliver higher-quality sound.
You’re finding it more difficult to manage your hearing aids
Changes in vision and dexterity as you age may make it more difficult to manage your hearing aids. First, check with your audiologist to see if any modifications could help. For example, it may be possible to get a remote if you’re having trouble pushing buttons. Sometimes pull strings can be added to aids to help people with dexterity issues remove their hearing aids.
Sometimes, however, people find that they do better with a different style of hearing aids. If you are still having trouble after trying some modifications to your current set, you may want a new style. For example, in-the-ear hearing aids can be easier to wear with glasses than behind-the-ear styles. Larger hearing aids with larger buttons or switching to aids with rechargeable instead of disposable batteries may help with dexterity problems.
Ultimately, hearing aids only can help you if you use them. If you’re getting frustrated with the mechanics of using your hearing aids to the point that you’re not using them, it may be time to get new ones.
You want features not available in your hearing aids
When people first get hearing aids, they tend to be most concerned with sound quality and getting the smallest hearing aid possible at a value price. However, as people get used to wearing hearing aids, they may become interested in trying technology or features not available in their first set of hearing aids. You might find, for example, that you now want a device that streams sound from your TV or cell phone into your hearing aids. The smallest or least expensive hearing aids on the market might not have those features.
Consult with an audiologist to learn more about technology features that are appropriate for your lifestyle. Consider not only your current activities but your plans for the next five years. Invest in devices that have the technology to support your plans.
Your hearing aids are more than five years old
Hearing aid manufacturers stop supporting their products with factory repairs after a period of time. Therefore, after five years, it may be more difficult to get your hearing aids repaired. There are some independent repair labs that may try to repair older aids. However, it can get expensive and depends on whether parts are available. Buying new hearing aids helps to ensure that you can get repairs if needed.
Additionally, hearing aid technology typically advances enough in five years that new hearing aids may bring significant improvements in your ability to hear in challenging listening situations.
Replacing your hearing aids while they are still in working order rather than waiting until they are not working and unable to be repaired allows you to save your old set of hearing aids as a backup. Most audiologists have loaner hearing aids for you to use when hearing aids are sent for repair, but they may be a different model than you’re used to. Having an old set of hearing aids to wear as a backup can be helpful.
How to get new hearing aids
Your new hearing aids can be prescription or over-the-counter.
Over-the-counter hearing aids can be purchased online from various retailers and in some drug stores. However, these purchases do not include a full evaluation and fitting by an audiologist.
New prescription hearing aids may be obtained by going to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, a private or hospital audiology clinic, or a big box store like Costco that has a hearing aid center. It’s helpful to bring your current hearing aids with you to the consultation. Your audiologist will want to know what has worked well for you in the past and what problems you’ve experienced. Some will try to keep you in the same manufacturer for new hearing aids because you’ve gotten used to that brand’s sound processing.