Hearing aids are a great addition to one’s life as it increases their well-being by enabling them to be more involved with the society as they deal with hearing loss. They ensure that people who have a hearing impairment have a buzzing social life and don’t feel isolated. They help prevent loneliness and other mental health issues like Alzheimer’s. Many people, especially the senior citizens who have been using hearing devices for a while now, might hold on to the old bulky ones they bought years ago. Although they might be familiar and comfortable with it, technology has dramatically advanced over the last few years with functions that weren’t even invented a decade ago. Apart from a technology upgrade, these are some of the signs that indicate the need to replace their devices:
- The Old Aid Is Losing Its Reliability
No matter how durable older equipment is, technical objects tend to get outdated and have difficulty functioning optimally after a few years. They do not last forever. The average lifespan of a hearing aid is 3 to 7 years. Outdated devices tend to produce serious issues like buzzing sounds, poor sound quality, deafening feedback while near other devices, or just out of the blue, etc. Then it would be a good time to replace the old ones. You can also visit for fm assistive listening devices.
- Complacency With the Poor Quality
It is helpful for the reader to take a moment and reflect if they have been saying phrases like, “Could you repeat that?”, “Could you be a little louder?” or “I can hear you clearly?”. There might be situations when the person is in conversation with a group, and they can only hear it partially or faintly. They might mistake it for a hearing aid glitching or the person not talking loud enough. But older hearing aids pose such problems as their main focus was on volume. But recent technology not only provides clearer sound but also filters out unnecessary noises and more.
- Batteries Are Draining the Money Quickly
Older devices take a lot more power to function efficiently. This results in them draining more batteries more frequently, even once a day. So, if cost is a major concern for a person to upgrade to a new pair of aids, it would be helpful to calculate the amount they would be spending on the batteries and repairs alone, which are not cheap. Modern hearing devices are a one-time investment, and they work more efficiently than the older ones, saving money in the long run.
- Lifestyle or Job Changes
Hearing devices are usually designed to help the person in situations that they are mostly involved in. So, they wouldn’t be very helpful if the person suddenly switches the routine and the environment. For example, those who usually work from home in a quiet place would require better devices to handle the new job that requires them to attend a buzzing office with multiple phone calls to attend. It is important to speak to an ENT specialist or an audiologist and get the best recommendations for the new environment that they would be spending more time in.
- Other Reasons to Upgrade
- The device is a bit big and heavy to wear every day.
- It does not match the evolving look and sticks out like a sore thumb.
- The device is an outdated analogue. All the best modern hearing devices have gone digital now.
- There is visible physical damage.
- They were under repair multiple times.
- The hearing impairment condition has worsened.
When a person observes any of these situations, they are highly recommended to consult an audiologist and get a reliable and good hearing aid.
