Hearing Aid Maintenance & Repairs

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• Change the battery (occasionally even new batteries may be faulty). Do not close the battery drawer immediately after removing the sticker from the battery as the batteries are air activated. Give it about 30 seconds to become active.
• If your hearing aids are rechargeable, make sure they have been charged and that your charger is working.  Ensure you are inserting them correctly into the charger. Do not use any other leads or plugs for the charger than those you were issued with by your hearing aid provider.
• Clean the tube as it may be blocked with moisture or wax
• Replace the hook as this may be blocked or the filter may be damp
• If all of the above have failed to fix the problem, then your hearing aid may need to be looked at by your provider & you should contact them. You should also contact them if you need replacement tubing or hooks.

• Check the hearing aid has been fitted in the ear properly. You should have a user guide from when you were first fitted with your hearing aids which may show how the hearing aid should fit. Alternatively you can find videos on YouTube demonstrating this.
• Check your ears are not blocked with wax. When the ears have wax in them, the sound from the hearing aid tends to bounce back from this and leak out of the ear canal. This sound is then picked back up by the hearing aid microphones and produces this feedback. If you have earwax and it is causing sound quality issues or feedback with your hearing aids then you should arrange to have the earwax removed. 
• The tube may be too short, split or too loose for the earmould. Try replacing the tubing.
• The earmould may have shrunk, or may be split, so is no longer providing a good enough seal on your ear. Contact your hearing aid provider to request a new earmould.

This is a very common complaint with hearing aids as unfortunately hearing aids cannot eliminate background noise. Whilst they have got programmes & features which may help, they are unable to remove background noise entirely. Everyone copes differently in background noise; some people are able to focus better on the conversation in hand whilst other seem to become distracted by the competing sounds. Factors such as age & neurological conditions can influence our ability to listen & this is more apparent when in these difficult listening environments. 

Your hearing aid provider should counsel you and your family on the realistic expectations of hearing aids and they may discuss with you certain assistive listening devices you may want to purchase and use alongside wearing your hearing aids that could help. Importantly, they should also provide you with listening strategies which you can put in place which may help you hear better in these noisy environments. 

In order to get the best performance out of your hearing aids they should be cleaned & maintained regularly. It is recommended to change the tubing roughly every six months, sometimes sooner, depending on the type of earmould you have. 

Don't let them come into contact with any products you may use on to your hair, such as hairspray, as this can clog the tiny microphones on the aids and seriously reduce the sound quality.

If your hearing aid takes batteries, avoid forcing the batteries into the battery compartment or forcing the battery drawer closed, as this can bend the battery connections. The battery compartment itself should be checked for corrosion. If for some reason you are not able to wear your hearing aid for a little time, then remove the battery from the drawer completely. Leaving the battery in overnight is fine, but remember to open the battery drawer to switch the aid off.

Your hearing aids are likely to be less effective if you have excessive ear wax, so it is important you manage the build-up of earwax. It may mean you should have your ears dewaxed on a regular basis if you are prone to excessive ear wax build up. Hear Well Clinic offers ear wax removal at affordable prices & in most cases can offer you an appointment relatively quicky. 

Expect your hearing aid to last anywhere between 3 - 5 years. In this time your hearing aid should be maintained (as discussed above). Your hearing should also be tested if you notice changes to your hearing & your hearing aid may be able to be fine-tuned by your hearing aid provider if needed. You must look after your hearing aids as they cannot always be covered by your home insurance in cases where they are lost, and even for NHS issued hearing aids, it is very likely you will be asked to pay a charge if you have misplaced your aid. When they are not being worn, they should be switched off and placed safely in a box, container or in their charging unit if they are rechargeable. Hearing aid batteries should always be kept out of reach of small children & pets to avoid accidental ingestion.

The websites below offer further advice about hearing aids & their maintenance:

•  C2 hear online 
•  How to care for your hearing aid - HSE.ie 
•  Get help using and taking care of your hearing aids | Oticon
•  Hearing aids - RNID