Tips on Proper Care for Hearing Aids
Proper care and handling of things preserve its use and durability. Hearing aids, unlike other gadgets that you can just place in a corner after use, need special care to guarantee their proper operation. Seek the advice of you audiologist who will show you how to care for and check them regularly. These items are essential to give proper care for your hearing aids: a tester for battery, a container for drying, a forced air blower and a tube for listening.
About your hearing aid
That tiny electronic device worn in or behind your ear is a hearing aid. It magnifies sounds so persons with hearing impairment can hear, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities. Whether the place is quiet or noisy, this device can help those who are hard-of-hearing hear more. It is a sad fact that only one out of five people who need the gadget opt to use one.
Its three basic parts
An amplifier, a microphone and a speaker served as its three basic parts. Sound waves are collected by the hearing aid via the microphone that transforms sound waves into to electrical signals and transmits them to an amplifier. The amplifier intensifies the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.
Tips to care for hearing aids
# 1 – Listening checks: Listen to the hearing aid every day. Using a listening tube, you can listen to the hearing aids to be sure that sounds are clear and not scratchy or weak. You have to request instructions from your audiologist on how to listen for intermittency and internal feedback.
# 2 – Check batteries: The life of a battery is about 1 or 2 weeks. Using a tester, you can check its full strength so the gadgets will work at peak performance. It is important to replace dead batteries immediately.
# 3 – Minimize moisture in the hearing aids. Keeping the device dry is essential to keep it functioning properly. To lengthen the life of hearing aids, you place inside a drying container to keep moisture from building up inside.
# 4 – Avoid feedback that whistling sound that can be heard from the hearing aid. By having hearing aids securely seated in your ear, no feedback is heard.
# 5 – A regular visit to your audiology are important for: hearing testing, checking the performance of the hearing aid, and making necessary adjustments.
# 6 – Do not use hairspray or other hair product while wearing your hearing aids.
# 7 – Turn off hearing aids when they are not in use.
Your hearing aids are not intended to restore hearing but only an aid in hearing. So following the tips given you can your hearing aids will serve you longer and better.
If you think you need a hearing aid, make sure that you get a hearing aid prescription. Also note that the programs on these devices may be modified, but ask your ENT doctor first before making any changes. We are a hearing specialist and our hearing test & assessment and hearing aid prescription may help you.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription