Hearing Aids Maintenance

Don’ts for hearing aids

·Don’t jump into the shower or swimming with your hearing aids.
·Don’t put your hearing aids and hearing aids case in the bathroom, next to the kitchen sink, or anywhere near water or moisture.
·Don’t put your hearing aids somewhere that your pets can reach.
·Don’t loosely put your hearing aids into your pockets, because you are either going to lose them, or they will end up in the washer.

What are some simple strategies that I can troubleshoot my hearing aids by myself?

·Whenever you take the hearing aids out of your ears, visually inspect, and gently whip down any earwax and/or debris on the hearing aids with clean dry tissues.
 ·Change filters & domes (if applicable) of the hearing aids when they are dirty, or when the hearing aids are not functioning.
·Gently brush off the microphones of the hearing aids about once per week.
·Avoid any moisture, water and heat with hearing aids.

Hearing Aids Knowledge

One vs. Two hearing aids

If you have hearing loss in one ear, then wearing a hearing aid in that ear is enough. However, if you have hearing loss in both ears, two hearing aids are strongly recommended. Some of the benefits of wearing two hearing aids:
·We can localize sounds better
·With two hearing aids we can hear things slightly louder, and therefore we can provide the brain with fuller sound quality.
·Untreated hearing loss can lead to more severe degrees of hearing loss, Dementia, and Alzheimer's.

How long do hearing aids last?

Hearing aids last on average 5-8 years. However, just like everything else in life, if you take good care of it, it tends to last longer. 

How long does a hearing aid battery last? 

On average a hearing aid battery lasts for 5 – 7 days, so you would need to change the battery at least once per week. Factors such as how long you wear the hearing aids, the severity of the hearing loss can affect the life span of the hearing aid battery.

Do I go to sleep with my hearing aids?

No, you don’t go to sleep with your hearing aids. Your ears also need a break from the hearing aids.  

Do I need to wear my hearing aids all the time?

It is strongly recommended to wear your hearing aids all the time (except when you are showering & sleeping). The ears are functioning as a sound conducting system, ultimately everything must make sense up in the brain. So, we want to keep the hearing part of the brain as active as we can, and we do so by wearing hearing aids consistently. Even when you are by yourself, there are always environmental sounds around us, and you want your brain to hear that information too.

Do I need a new hearing aid every time I have a hearing test?

Most of the time no. Hearing aids nowadays are programmable, but many factors could contribute to this decision. Common factors such as changes in the severity of hearing loss, conditions of the hearing aids, and changes in lifestyles. Ultimately, it will always be a decision between you and your hearing health professionals.

Loud noises and hearing aids 

When you are around loud noises you should not wear your hearing aids, instead you should wear hearing protection. Even when the hearing aids are shut off, they cannot function as hearing protection.

Knowledge regarding to Hearing Loss

How often do I need to have my hearing checked?

If you have hearing loss, even if is a mild degree of hearing loss annual hearing test is strongly recommended, or sooner if a change is suspected. 

What are some common signs for potential hearing loss?

·Tends to like to turn up the TV, phone, and/or radio volume.  ·Frequently ask others to repeat themselves.
·Misinterpret what others are saying.
·Experiencing a ringing, hissing, humming, roaring, or any random ear noises in the ears (tinnitus).
·Favorite one ear over another.
·Find yourself struggles to hear especially when you are in background noise environments and group situations.

What are some common potential causes of hearing loss?

·Age related hearing loss (Presbycusis)
·Noise exposure
·Ototoxic medications
·Middle ear infection
·Head injuries / Concussion

Can I prevent hearing loss?

Yes, you can. Things you can do to prevent hearing loss such as not listen to music or sounds loud. If you enjoy listening to things loud, only listen to them for a short period of time. If you want to listen to things for a long duration, then don’t listen to them too loud. Additionally, when you are using loud, heavy tools, wearing hearing protection.

What is Tinnitus? And how does it relate to hearing loss?

·Tinnitus means any random noises that are in your ears (ringing, hissing, humming, buzzing, roaring, etc.). The majority of the time tinnitus is a subjective thing, and it sounds different for everyone. The cause of tinnitus is unknown, and therefore there are no cures to tinnitus at this time; however, studies have been shown there is a strong relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus. Due to the hearing loss, there are less sounds got sent up to the brain, and your brain is sensitive to detect this difference. As a result, your brain started to produce random noises in your ears to compensate for the lessen of acoustic information. Therefore, tinnitus is also a common sign of potential hearing loss.
·Other potential causes of tinnitus include changes in medications, lifestyle, and stress levels.

What are some signs that I need to go see my doctor for my ears and/or hearing loss?

Although one should see a physician once they realized that they are experiencing hearing difficulties; however, there are some urgent cases that one should follow-up with a physician as soon as possible for their ears or regarding to hearing loss. If you are experiencing sudden hearing loss due to known reasons, unilateral hearing loss, any symptoms such as ear pain, drainage, dizziness, or other medical symptoms, we strongly recommended you to follow up with a physician, such as an ENT doctor.