At Home Care Tips for Hearing Aids

When helping you manage your hearing loss, hearing aids are some of the most common tools that your audiologist will recommend. In terms of advances in the treatment of hearing loss, nothing has had quite the level of impact that hearing aids have had. However, as excellent as they can be, and as resilient as they have gotten – thanks to advances in modern technology – hearing aids still contain advanced technology that is susceptible to wear and tear over the years. For that reason, you want to make sure that you take care of them at home. Here are a few ways you do just that.

Clean Devices Properly

One of the most important habits to integrate into your daily routine is the cleaning of your hearing aid. You should make use of cleaning aid hearing tools rather than other objects for this, and make sure to avoid using any wet or damp cloths when wiping off your hearing aid. Use the soft brush that is provided in a hearing aid cleaning kit to remove wax from the shell, microphone and receiver, and use a tissue to clean off any oily buildup. Wax, dirt and other debris can build up on the hearing aid, which can begin to affect its effectiveness. What’s more, this dirt also attracts moisture. If moisture works its way into the device, it can start to cause it to malfunction.

Store Appropriately

When you go to bed or to the bathroom for a shower or bath, then you’re likely to take your hearing aids out. However, you shouldn’t leave your hearing aids lying out on a counter or bedside table. Leaving the battery inside when it’s not in use can cause corrosion, which can lead to leakage problems that impact the rest of the device. Take the batteries out of the hearing aid, and put both the device and batteries in a dehumidifying case. This will help protect your hearing aids and batteries, as well as removing any moisture buildup.

Avoid Drops

It might seem like a simple tip, but hearing aids can be rather petite and, as such, when you’re taking them out of your ear, it’s not difficult to accidentally let them fall out of your hand. Even a short fall onto a hard surface can damage your hearing aid. As such, you should make sure that you’re taking your hearing aid out over a soft surface, such as your own bed. This way, even if the device does fall, it’s not as likely to experience any additional damage. What’s more, you should make sure that your hands are dry and clean any time you handle your hearing aid to prevent it from slipping and also to make sure that you don’t contribute to any dust or moisture buildup on the device.

Don’t Wear in Water

As mentioned, moisture can cause some serious issues with your hearing aid. It can affect the circuitry, it can affect the microphone and receiver, it can cause the battery to leak acid which can corrode the device. As such, you should do everything you can to prevent your hearing aid from being in places with excess moisture and humidity. The bathroom is the most common culprit, of course. You should not only take your hearing aid out when you are bathing or in the shower, you should avoid having it in the bathroom entirely. Keep the device in the proper storage case in another room when you’re not using it.

Other Tips

Aside from the vital care mentioned above, here are a few extra suggestions that can help you take better care of your hearing aids:

• Change your dead batteries as soon as possible, making sure your device always has fresh batteries.
• Avoid using any aerosols on your hearing aid, including using hairspray when you are wearing your hearing aids.
• Do not hair dry or microwave your hearing aids in an effort to dry them.
• Turn your hearing aid off when not using it.
• Keep batteries and small hearing aids out of the reach of dogs and children.

Let Us Help You!

Aside from being able to diagnose and treat a wide range of hearing health conditions, your audiologist is also trained to know a lot about hearing aids. Take a look at the website to learn more about how Hearing Wellness Centre can help you or call us on (844) 663-9433 for more advice and recommendations on hearing aid care.