Hearing aids are an excellent investment and research shows properly fit hearing aids often lead to better communication, strengthened relationships, and decreased risk of developing dementia, depression, and anxiety.
Like any technology, the time will come when it is time to replace them. But when will that time come? If any of the following is true for you, you may be due for a hearing aid upgrade.
Changes in Your Lifestyle
Changes in your work, home life, hobbies, or friends can pose new challenges to your hearing aids. Is a new job leading to more phone calls and meetings? Are you meeting more clients in public places? Maybe you have moved into a living situation where you are around more people than before. Changes like this may mean that your lifestyle needs have changed since you initially purchased your current set of hearing aids. These types of lifestyle changes may be an indication you could benefit from an upgrade in technology.
Changes in Your Hearing Aids’ Performance
A hearing aid is not like a mobile phone or tablet in your pocket or purse that can be securely tucked away. The unit, or at least part of it, sits in your ear canal most of the time, where a buildup of wax, dirt, and debris accumulates. Over time, elements like rain and humidity can also weaken the integrity of the sensitive circuitry within the devices.
The best hearing aids are designed to withstand these elements, but with the wear and tear of daily usage, most hearing aids need to be replaced somewhere between 3 and 7 years from the date you start using them. Occasional cleaning and technical repair, such as replacing the speaker’s wax filter or cleaning the microphone ports from debris, can lengthen the devices’ lifespan, but only to a certain extent.
New Technology May Benefit Your Listening Experience
The latest hearing aids can make the listening experience more relaxed, natural, and effortless for wearers. Many of these sound features may have been unavailable when you last acquired your hearing aids a few years ago—but now that they are here, you may as well reap the benefits!
Hearing aids have become smarter and more advanced, collaborating with the brain to distinguish speech from background noise, and decrease listening effort. Most hearing aids are now Bluetooth-capable, which means they can seamlessly connect to the gadgets you use every day whether it is an Apple or Android product. Hearing aids now also come in more colors and sizes than ever before, helping you blend the device to your hair color or express your personality through your device by choosing a statement color.
You must always consider the cost of upgrading and the advantages that modern hearing technology can bring to your life when determining whether to upgrade to newer, better hearing aids. We accept most major insurance companies and offer a variety of payment options that have helped many patients receive the best hearing aids.
Your Hearing Needs Have Changed
We recommend integrating a hearing test into your routine health checkups in the same way you have an annual physical or eye examination. Although you are already treating your hearing loss with hearing aids, it’s important to monitor your hearing thresholds annually to determine if a change has occurred.
Most types of hearing aids are flexible and can support a broad spectrum of hearing loss if you do start to experience a change in hearing. However, if your hearing changes enough, it could exceed your device’s technical limitations entirely. If this is the case, upgrading to more powerful hearing aids is usually recommended.
Furthermore, if you are not meeting your hearing needs and goals, it is always a good idea to see if you can hear better with new hearing aid technology.
The Hearing Health Center of Houston
If you’re daunted by new technology, our team at The Hearing Health Center of Houston is here to help you choose the right technology for your lifestyle. No matter your needs, it all starts with a hearing test. Contact us today to set up a consultation with one of our doctors of Audiology.