When Is It Time To Update Your Hearing Aid?

It’s a well-known fact that hearing aids are complex devices. Despite their small form, hearing aids contain a lot of components and technology, and as with any device, hearing aid technology continually improves and evolves.

One question you might have is when should you change your hearing aids? Is there a definite period that should elapse before doing so? Or should you update your hearing aids when a specific milestone or event occurs?

The following gives a few examples of when you should schedule an appointment with a hearing instrument specialist (HIS) to discuss changing your hearing aids to newer models.

You’ve Had Hearing or Health Changes

One of the leading signs that you should seriously consider updating your hearing aids is when you’ve had a significant hearing or health change. For example, you might find that your existing hearing aids are no longer powerful enough to amplify the sounds around you if you’re now experiencing severe or profound hearing loss.

Another reason might be if you’ve had some health changes, such as a recent arthritis diagnosis, and your dexterity has diminished, making it challenging to operate your existing hearing aids. You might prefer behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids in those circumstances, as they don’t require much handling compared with in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids.

Your Hearing Aids Are 5+ Years Old

Another reason to consider updating your hearing aids is if your current ones are five years old. You may not realize it, but most hearing aids on the market have a lifespan of around five to seven years. Their limited lifespan is because they typically get used every day and are often exposed to the elements and environments that can cause wear.

For instance, water ingress can eventually cause degraded performance, and rechargeable batteries have reduced capacities as they age and go through thousands of charging cycles. You should also keep in mind that older hearing aids simply don’t have the efficiency and technology as today’s current models.

You Want to Update to A Better Model

When you bought your existing hearing aids, you might have felt compelled to purchase them due to your budget at the time. Today might be a different story, and you may have a bigger budget available for updating to a better model.

Even if your budget wasn’t and still isn’t an issue, it could be that certain technology just wasn’t around at the time. That’s why it makes sense to change your hearing aids because you can take advantage of today’s cutting-edge technology and features.

Some of the features you’ll find in today’s hearing aids include Bluetooth connectivity, allowing connection to external devices and customization on a smartphone app.

You Lead a Different Lifestyle

Have you recently made some lifestyle changes? If that’s the case, now is probably the best time to consider updating your hearing aids. You may have upgraded your smartphone to a current model and want Bluetooth connectivity from it to your hearing aids.

Another example might be that you’ve decided to spend more time pursuing outdoor pursuits, and your existing hearing aids just aren’t up to the job of operating efficiently in such environments, especially in high-wind situations.

You may even decide that you’d prefer a more discreet hearing aid design, especially if a new hairstyle leaves your existing hearing aids more exposed and you feel self-conscious about them.

You Want Digital Hearing Aids

Last but not least, you may have decided that your current analog hearing aids are no longer ideal for your needs, and you want to upgrade to digital hearing aids. There’s no denying that hearing aid technology has made significant strides in recent years, and one of those is using digital technology.

Digital hearing aids solve those issues and offer other benefits, such as making speech louder and ensuring that background noise becomes softer. What’s more, digital hearing aids boast other innovations that you’ll seldom see in older analog devices.

Hearing aids are undeniably beneficial to people who experience some degree of hearing loss in their lives. The thing is, some people aren’t aware they should consider updating to newer models periodically.

If you have one or more hearing aids and want to discuss updating them to newer technology, contact Center for Better Hearing at 510-768-7091 to schedule an appointment with a hearing instrument specialist.