When To Upgrade your Hearing Aids

With a new year comes thoughts of new beginnings.  For some folks this also applies to their hearing aids.  If you currently have hearing aids that are a few years old, you might wonder “When should I upgrade them?”.

Let me just start by repeating the old principal, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  At Nanaimo Hearing Clinic, our first goal is to help you get the most life and performance possible out of your existing hearing aids.  

However, hearing aids being electronic products that work in warm, moist environments (i.e. your ears) there does come a time where it is worth considering upgrade options.Here are the top three reasons one might replace their hearing aids.  

‍#1  If is broken.Over time, hearing aid microphones and speakers can become weaker, the processors can develope distortion, and sometimes the devices simply quit altogether.  If your hearing aids are not working, then please bring them in. We want to see if a free or inexpensive repair can get you going again. Or maybe a manufacturer repair is required, which does cost a bit more, but far less than new hearing aids.  Failing those options, if it looks like the hearing aids really are at the end of their lifespan, then we can help you explore the current options for upgrading.‍

#2  Your hearing needs change. This is an interesting one. Sometimes it's obvious, as in your hearing loss has become worse to the point that your current hearing aids are no longer strong enough.  But, a more interesting consideration is, has your lifestyle has changed? Are you more active? Have your work needs become more demanding for communication? Sometimes, people get entry level hearing aids and become more active because they are more confident communicators.  Then, because they are spending more time in places like noisy restaurants, they really could use advanced or premium level processors that filter out noise more efficiently.

‍#3  You’re one of those people that have to have the latest technology.You've heard about Bluetooth hearing aids, hearing aids that talk to your smartphone, hearing aids that can talk to other products in your house, and hearing aids that manage background noise super well. Hearing aid manufacturers are coming out with new products all the time!  If you're one of those people who just have to have the latest and the greatest, well, that would be another reason to explore what's on the market for 2019.So, what to do next?  

As usual, an annual hearing test is the first step. This is a great way to review these three points that we've talked about. We always start by sticking to the first principal, if it ain't broke don't fix it. We'll try to maximise the hearing aids that you have. But, if it looks like something could do a significantly better job, then we'll help you explore your options and take it one step at a time from there.