Tips for hearing aid use
By Serena Ransom
Keep your hearing aids clean
Each night when you remove your hearing aid, wipe the hearing aid with the cleaning cloth and inspect the hearing aid for dust or wax debris. Check out our helpful cleaning guide in the blog!
Store hearing aids in the case away from pets
Source: centroauditivo-valencia.es
A common issue we see is lost or damaged hearing aids due to pets. The small appearance and the high pitch whistling the hearing aids emit when not turned off is very alluring to animals. Always keep your aids in a case when you are not wearing them.
Open the battery door every time you remove your hearing aids
Anytime you remove your aids for a long period of time, you should open the battery door. This helps preserve some of the battery life. Please keep in mind this does not fully stop the hearing aid battery from draining but it does conserve some power.
Protect your hearing aids from moisture
Moisture in the hearing aids can cause them to be distorted. Anytime your hearing aids are exposed to moisture whether it is through sweat, humidity, or rain, steps should be taken to dry the hearing aids. If you have a drying box, you can use this. If you do not, you can also put your hearing aids in a jar of rice and ensure the lid is on tightly. Leave hearing aids in here overnight to remove all the moisture.
Protect hearing aids from solvents and beauty supplies
Hearing aid microphones and small parts can often become clogged by makeup and hairspray. Ensure if you are using these products, your hearing aids are not on your ears. Ensure your hearing aids do not come into contact with other solvents such as alcohol or grease as these can also damage the hearing aids.
Ensure your hearing aid is always in good working condition
Hearing aids have a manufacturer warranty which often covers loss and damages. We always recommend our patients notify us as soon as they notice any damage or distortion in sound so we can be sure to send the hearing aids in for repair while they under warranty.
Movie theatres
Source: https://www.cineplex.com/Theatres/ClosedCaption
Did you know some movie theatres offer resources for hearing loss? Some theatres offer closed caption systems that attach to your cupholder and display the text along with the movie. Other theatres offer a loop system which can stream the movie directly through your hearing aids.
Hearing in background noise
Hearing aids manage background noise by using two microphones: one that faces the back and one that faces the front. The microphone facing the front turns up the sounds we are facing. The microphone that faces the back brings down anything behind us under the assumption this is background noise. To make the most of your hearing aid, always ensure you are facing the sounds you would like to hear and put the background noise behind you. In this sense, if you are choosing a seat in a restaurant, always sit with your back towards the loudest part of the restaurant (i.e. bar or kitchen) and face a quiet area (i.e. wall or back of a booth) with the person you are speaking to directly in your line of sight. If you are struggling with background noise, please consult our hearing professional about adding in a manual noise program and adjusting the overall noise level in your hearing aids.