Frequently Asked Questions

According to the American Academy of Audiology, mail order or budget clubs can afford to sell hearing aids at lower prices because the electronic components often are inexpensive and the hearing aids themselves are often placed on the user with minimal or (in the case of mail orders) no instructions or fine tuning adjustments.

Futhermore, the patient may be charged for every return visit, including minor tubing change and adjustments. Thus in the long run the patient is likely to pay as much or even more.

The cost of hearing aids has actually decreased relatively over time, when compared to the rate of inflation. Today, hearing aids range from approximately $1,000 to $4,000 each, depending on the technology selected. Several factors contribute to the cost of hearing aids, including: research and development costs; customization of each hearing aid to fit the needs of the wearer; manufacturing costs; and time spent with the professional who selects, fits, programs, adjusts and services the instruments.

Averaged over the lifetime of the instruments (3 – 5 years or more), the cost per day of a pair of highly featured, advanced digital hearing aids is about $3 – less than a large latte at your favorite java joint. And hearing aids are proven to not only help you hear better, but to actually improve the quality of life for people with hearing loss and their families. I'd say that is one worthy investment to make.

Your hearing professional may offer payment plans. There are also funding options available from a variety of sources for people who qualify.

Copyright 2011. Reprinted with permission from Healthy Hearing - www.healthyhearing.com - Visit the site for more information.

The term DIGITAL is used so often today, it can be confusing. When the term "digital" is used referring to hearing aids, it generally means the hearing aid is 100% digital. In other words, the hearing aid is indeed a "complete computer". 100% digital hearing aids have been commercially available since the mid-1990s and they are wonders of modern technology. 100% digital hearing aids can process sound using incredibily fast speeds. Interestingly, most 100% digital hearing aids transform analog information into a digital signal and process the sound to maximize the speech information you want to hear, while minimizing the amplification of sounds you do not want to hear.

Digital technology is tremendous and it allows the audiologist maximal control over the sound quality and loudness of the hearing aid. Importantly, digital technology allows the audiologist to tailor or customize the sound of your hearing aids to what you need and want to hear. In summary, if you want the best technology -- get 100% digital hearing aids.

What are ear impressions? All custom made hearing aids and earmolds are made from a "cast" of the ear. The cast is referred to as an ear impression. The hearing professional makes the ear impression in the office. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The audiologist places a special cotton or foam dam in the ear canal to protect the eardrum, and then a waxy material is placed in the ear canal. When the material hardens (about 5 to 10 minutes later) the wax cast, along with the dam are removed from the ear canal. Often, the ear canal will be "oily" after the impression is removed. This is normal. The oil comes from the earmold material and prevents the material from sticking to the skin. Tell the hearing professional before the ear impression is obtained if you are ALLERGIC TO PLASTIC OR DYES!

How can hearing aids help? Hearing aids serve different purposes and needs. The goal of most hearing aid fittings is to make more speech sounds available to the listener. However, simply making sounds louder does not accomplish the goal! In 2005, most hearing aids process sounds to present specific speech information (sounds) to the listener, while reducing unwanted noises and sounds. In fact, with some hearing aid technology, such as; T-coils, FM systems, Directional Mics and Noise Reduction, circuits, sometimes people wearing hearing aids can actually perceive a better speech signal then people not wearing hearing aids.

No. Hearing aids work in many different ways to provide the needed and desired speech signals to the listener. Some hearing aids deliver sound through the air, some deliver sound through bone conduction. Some hearing aids use FM signals, some use electro-magnetic signals (T-coils). Most hearing aids use digital technology, although some still use analog technology...some hearing aids use noise reduction technology, others don't! In brief, there are dozens of varieties and alternatives in the way hearing aids work.

There are many styles of hearing aids. The most common are listed below:

ITE: In-The-Ear units are often the most comfortable, the least expensive and the easiest to operate. They are also the largest of the custom made styles.

ITC: In-The-Canal units are usually more expensive then ITEs. They require good dexterity to control the volume wheel and they are smaller than ITEs.

MC: Mini-Canal are the size between ITC and CIC. A mini canal is a good choice when you desire the smallest possible hearing aid with a tiny volume wheel.

CIC: Completely-In-Canal units are the tiniest hearing aids made. They require a "removal string" due to their small size and the fact that they fit deeply into the ear canal. CICs can be difficult to remove without the pull string. CICs do not usually have manual controls attached to them because they are too small.

BTE: Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are the largest hearing aids, often the least expensive, and they are very reliable. BTEs have the most circuit options and they typically offer more power than custom made units. BTEs rest on the back of your ear. They are connected to the ear canal via custom-made plastic tubing; the earmold. The earmold is usually custom made from an ear impression to perfectly replicate the size and shape of your ear.

YES! Basically, if you have two ears with hearing loss, and if both ears could benefit from hearing aids, you need two hearing aids. I know you were hoping to "get by" with only one hearing aid, people tried that for decades and it simply does not work very well.

Here's why...

It is important to realize there are no "normal" animals born with only one ear. Simply stated, you have two ears because you need two ears. If you try to amplify sound in only one ear, you cannot expect to do very well. Even the best hearing aid will sound "flat" or "dull" when worn in only one ear.

You do need two ears to tell where the sound is coming from (localization). Localization is very important for determining the origin of warning signals, alerting sounds and of course, conversational speech.

Using both ears together allows your central nervous system (your brain) to better focus on, and process sounds you want to hear (human speech) while more or less "squelching" (ignoring) sounds you do not want to hear (background noise). One ear working by itself cannot do this very well. The brain needs to compare and contrast loudness, pitch and the phase (timing) of the sounds from the two ears to make sense of it!

It's sort of like using your eyes. If you close one eye, you cannot get depth perception. In other words, if you were to close one, it becomes very difficult to tell how far something is in front of you. It is also difficult to read and you'll find you get tired more quickly as you are straining and working harder to make visual sense of the world. Of course, if you had two eyes that were far sighted, or two eyes that were near sighted, you wouldn't even think about getting a monocle...and that would be analogous to wearing one hearing aid.

Assuming you have two ears that hear about the same, you can do a little experiment at home to better understand how important binaural hearing is:

First, gently close just one ear, by simply pressing the little fleshy part in the front of your ear canal (the tragus) into your ear canal--a little. Do not apply pressure, do not hurt yourself. Just close the ear canal to eliminate sound from entering the ear. The idea is to close that ear for about ten minutes, remove your finger. What an amazing difference!

Binaural hearing allows a quality of "spaciousness" or "high fidelity" to sounds, which cannot occur with monaural (one ear) listening. Understanding speech clearly, particularly in challenging and noisy situations is much easier while using both ears. Additionally, using two hearing aids allows people to speak to you from either side of your head - not just your "good" side.

People cannot hear well using only one ear. There are studies in the research literature that show that children with one normal ear and one "deaf" ear are ten times more likely to repeat a grade when compared to children with two normally hearing ears. Additionally, we know that if you have two ears with hearing impairment and you wear only one hearing aid, the unaided ear is likely to lose word recognition ability more quickly than the ear wearing the hearing aid.

Bottom line....if you have two ears that can benefit from hearing aids, fit both ears!

People with hearing loss and wear hearing aids typically have more difficulty understanding speech in noisy areas. This problem is greatly reduced with directional microphones because there are two microphones. The front microphone of the hearing aid is designed to amplify sound sources in the front of the hearing aid wearer and the second microphone decreases all sounds to the side and behind the wearer. This allows the wearer to be able to turn their head and direct their attention to the speaker in front of them. This improves what is called the signal to noise ratio. The signal is what we want to hear and the noise is the sounds we don't want to hear. Better signal to noise ratios equals better speech understanding in all areas, including noisy areas.

First, an "open-fitting" means less of the ear canal is plugged or closed off when the hearing aid is inserted, which makes for a more comfortable experience with hearing aids particularly those with high frequency hearing loss. Various forms of "open-fit" hearing aids have been around for awhile, but due to feedback (whistling) they were only appropriate for a very small percentage of people with hearing loss. So why are "open-fit" hearing aids suddenly big news? Well, advance in feedback suppression have dramatically increased the percentage of people who can now be fit with more "open" hearing aids. If you currently wear hearing aids or have previously rejected hearing aids, "open-fit" hearing aids are worth exploring.

Years ago hearing aids had one setting or "program". If you wanted to change the setting to fit your environment (i.e. noisy restaurant), your only option was to turn the volume down which reduced speech understanding, hence negating the value of the hearing aids. Today's modern hearing aids have multiple programs to adapt to different environments without such a dramatic reduction in speech understanding. Typically there is a program for quiet, one for noise, and one for the telephone.

There are many different types of hearing loss, the most common type is sensorineural hearing loss (also called "cochlear", "inner ear" or "nerve loss"), the second most common type of hearing loss is conductive hearing loss. Other types of hearing loss include; mixed and central.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

When the problem is in the inner ear, a sensorineural hearing loss occurs. Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. More than 90 percent of all hearing aid wearers have sensorineural hearing loss. The most common causes of sensorineural hearing loss are: age related changes, noise exposure, inner ear blood circulation issues, various diseases, inner ear fluid disturbances, ototoxic medication, genetics and problems with the hearing nerve.

Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and there is currently no cure. The best treatment option for sensorineural hearing loss is to be fit with hearing aids. For severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, cochlear implants may also be an option when traditional hearing aids are unsuccessful.

Conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the ear canal, eardrum or the tiny bones of the middle ear; resulting in a reduction of loudness of sound reaching the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss may result from earwax blocking the ear canal, fluid in the middle ear, middle ear infection, obstructions in the ear canal, deformations, perforations (hole) in the eardrum or disease of any of the three middle ear bones.

People with conductive hearing loss may notice their ears seem to be full or plugged. This person may speak softly because they hear their own voice loudly. Crunchy foods, such as celery or carrots, seem very loud to the person with a conductive hearing loss and this person may have to stop chewing to hear what is being said. All conductive hearing losses should be evaluated by an audiologist and a physician to explore medical and surgical options.

Conductive hearing loss due to earwax, middle ear infection, fluid, etc are often temporary and resolve following medical treatment. Surgery of the middle ear is often an option for some conductive hearing losses and may result in restoring some hearing.

Conductive hearing loss can also be permanent if there has been permanent damage to any of the middle ear components or due to disease of the middle ear. For persons with permanent conductive hearing loss, hearing aids and/or implantable bone-anchored hearing implants may be an option.

Copyright 2011. Reprinted with permission from Healthy Hearing - www.healthyhearing.com - Visit the site for more information.

All first time hearing aid wearers have asked themselves this very question.

If you're not sure whether you need hearing aids, the first step is to obtain objective data - a comprehensive hearing evaluation. If hearing aids are recommended, ask the professional about the advantages of hearing aids. Consider the environments that you're in, and where you're looking for benefit.

For adults with hearing loss, the first step in seeking treatment is recognizing the problem. Hearing loss has been called an "invisible" health condition as there are no outward physical signs associated with it. It usually occurs gradually, and may be noticed by your close friends and family members before you notice it. With a hearing loss, you don't always know what you missed, because you didn't hear it. Sometimes, things may sound loud enough, but not be clear. At first, you may only have a problem on the telephone, or with television, or only in background noise. You may have the perception that you're hearing fine, if other people would just stop mumbling.

In addition to not noticing the hearing loss, denial can also occur. Denial can take the form of denying the loss altogether, or understating its impact. If you've made statements such as "I hear well enough most of the time" or "My hearing loss is not bothersome to me" you may be minimizing the effect of your hearing loss. Denial is a common reaction to stress. It can help allay fear and frustration while you get the information needed to find productive solutions.

If you're not sure whether you need hearing aids, speak with your family members and close friends to be sure your perception of your hearing problems are in sync with what they're feeling. Sometimes, family members and friends are more affected by your loss than you are, because they have to make accommodations for your hearing loss. They may need to repeat what they say, face you when they speak to you, and in some instances, act as your interpreter when you've missed something. If they feel frustrated or compromised by your loss, you may want to consider that in your decision to seek treatment.

There is research indicating that the "use it or lose it" principle may apply to our ears. Delaying the use of hearing aids, which essentially deprives the ears of auditory stimuli at normal levels, can lead to a degradation of word recognition. In other words, an ear that hasn't been stimulated due to untreated hearing loss loses some of its ability to understand. Fortunately, this same research indicates that this degradation may be reversible in some cases with hearing aids.

The National Council on Aging released a study in 1999 on 2,300 individuals with hearing loss who were over the age of 50. The overall results were "... those with untreated hearing loss were more likely to report depression, anxiety, and paranoia and were less likely to participate in organized social activities, compared to those who wear hearing aids." This same study found that with hearing aid use, improvements were seen in relationships, self-confidence, social life, self-esteem, and many other aspects of people's lives – not just hearing.

Hearing loss tends to get worse gradually. As with most health conditions, earlier diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss usually leads to the most successful outcomes. Since the negative effects of untreated hearing loss are well documented, the benefits of seeking treatment are proven, and hearing aids not only help you hear better but also improve the quality of your life - if you need them, what are you waiting for?

Copyright 2011. Reprinted with permission from Healthy Hearing - www.healthyhearing.com - Visit the site for more information.

When fitting hearing aids, people do not come into the office because they are not hearing well, they come in because their hearing loss is affecting their life. Why spend the next several years compromised by hearing problems when you can easily get help? It sounds like from your question that you are avoiding the issue of getting help with your hearing problem. Hearing aids don't return your hearing to normal, but they do help you hear better, and more importantly, improve quality of your life. There is research indicating that the "use it or lose it" principle may apply to our ears as well. Delaying the use of hearing aids, which essentially deprives the ears of auditory stimuli at normal levels, can lead to a degradation of word recognition. In other words, an ear that hasn't been stimulated due to untreated hearing loss loses some of its ability to understand. Find a hearing care professional in your area who can discuss your concerns with you. Are you postponing hearing aids due to financial issues? Are you postponing hearing aids for cosmetic reasons? Many new hearing aid styles have emerged in recent years for people who are concerned with cosmetics. Whatever your reasons, a good professional will listen to your concerns, and help you find solutions that work best for you.

It is not uncommon for a person having difficulty hearing or understanding conversations, to withdraw from social interactions. Typically, this type of behavior would be viewed as an attempt to avoid embarrassment of asking people to repeat and possibly making an inappropriate response. A complete hearing evaluation would be recommended to determine whether or not your mother has some type of hearing loss. Your hearing healthcare provider will review the test results and make appropriate recommendations for treatment of the hearing loss (i.e. medical referral, hearing aids, etc).

Hearing loss tends to get worse gradually as we get older but each case is unique. In many cases, hearing is stable for many years. This is a question for your otologist and hearing care provider based on your specific situation.

Noise is a leading cause of hearing loss, and hearing loss from noise exposure is usually preventable. Both the level of the noise and the length of time you're exposed to it determine if a noise will cause damage to your hearing. A good rule of thumb – if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone standing three feet away, the noise around you could be damaging. Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists can advise you on your best options for ear protection. In addition to protecting your hearing from noise, be sure to have your hearing tested on a regular basis, and ask the professional to compare exams to determine if your hearing loss is worsening. If a significant change is noted, see a medical professional (otologist or otolaryngologist) for an evaluation.

Copyright 2011. Reprinted with permission from Healthy Hearing - www.healthyhearing.com - Visit the site for more information.

According to the American Academy of Audiology, mail order or budget clubs can afford to sell hearing aids at lower prices because the electronic components often are inexpensive and the hearing aids themselves are often placed on the user with minimal or (in the case of mail orders) no instructions or fine tuning adjustments.

Futhermore, the patient may be charged for every return visit, including minor tubing change and adjustments. Thus in the long run the patient is likely to pay as much or even more.

Unfortunately price is often a primary reason cited as to why people with hearing loss do not purchase hearing aids and with today's economic issues many consumers are seeking inexpensive hearing aids. Due to more consumers seeking inexpensive hearing aids, many hearing aid manufacturers now offer product lines at all price points, from entry level hearing aids at lower prices to higher-end sophisticated hearing aids at higher prices.

Like any consumer product, the more you pay for a hearing aid the more features and technology you will get. For persons with a less active lifestyle who do not find themselves in demanding listening situations, entry level (inexpensive) hearing aids are often a solid solution. However for persons with a more active and demanding lifestyle, they may have more success in higher priced hearing aids due to the more sophisticated technology.

Digital hearing aids are now considered standard in the hearing aid industry, thus consumers looking at entry level hearing aids will find they offer a wide variety of options and features that in the past would have only been found in higher end hearing aids.

When purchasing hearing aids the first step is to have a full hearing evaluation by a qualified hearing aid professional (audiologist or licensed hearing instrument dispenser). Based on your hearing loss, budget, lifestyle and listening demand the hearing professional will assist you in finding the best hearing aids for you and your unique needs.

In general, Medicare DOES NOT cover hearing aids. However, each situation is different. It is always a good idea to speak with your personal (Medicare/Medicaid) representative who handles your account, to determine your eligibility.

Some insurers do cover hearing aids. However, each situation is different! Even though a particular insurer offers hearing aid coverage, you may or may not have it available to you, based on your individual policy. It is always a good idea to call the insurance company and speak with their representative to learn about your personal hearing aid coverage.

GETTING ACCUSTOMED to your HEARING AIDS:
It takes time...People learn and adapt at different rates. Some people need a day or two to learn about and adjust to their hearing aids, most people need a few weeks and others may need a few months. There is no perfect way to learn about hearing aids.

It is usually recommended...
Wear your hearing aids for a few hours the first day an add an hour a day the following day, and the next, and the next, until you are wearing hearing aids most of the day. Do not try to set and endurance record! We recommend that you interact with people familiar to you during your first days with new hearing aids. Start in a favorable listening environment (such as one-on-one conversations in quiet) and work towards more difficult listening situations. Let your friends and family know you're using your new hearing aids.

Please do NOT wear them to a cocktail party or restaurant during the first few days, thinking "this will be a good test!" It will absolutely NOT be a good test - it will be very difficult! You should not wear hearing aids in noise until you are accustomed to them!

HELPFUL STEPS IN LEARNING TO USE A HEARING AID:
1. At first, wear the hearing aids in your own home environment.
2. Wear the hearing aids only as long as you are comfortable wearing them.
3. Accustom yourself to the use of the hearing aids while conversing with just one other person.
4. Do not strain to catch every word, even people with normal hearing do not hear every word!
5. Do not be discouraged by background noise.
6. Practice locating the source of the sound by listening only.
7. Increase your tolerance for loud sounds SLOWLY.
8. Practice learning to discriminate different speech sounds.
9. Listen to something read aloud "books on tape" are available at the library.
10. Gradually extend the number of persons with whom you speak.
11. Gradually increase the number of situations in which you use your hearing aids.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS:
Hearing aids work EXTREMELY well when fitted and adjusted properly. Hearing aids amplify sound! The left and right hearing aids will probably not fit exactly the same and they probably won't sound exactly the same. You might find you like one hearing aid better than the other. Nonetheless, hearing aids should be comfortable with respect to physical fit and sound quality. Hearing aids do not restore normal hearing and are not as good as normal hearing. You will be aware of hearing aids in your ears. Until you get used to it, your voice will sound "funny" when you wear hearing aids. Hearing aids should not be worn in extremely noisy environments. Some hearing aids have features that make noisy environments more tolerable, however, hearing aids cannot completely eliminate background noise. Background noise is a real bother for many people.

Successful hearing aid wearers tend to wear their hearing aids for all waking hours. Once you're used to hearing sounds again, you'll probably find you don't want to be without your hearing aids. While your unaided hearing may remain unchanged, you'll simply find you enjoy being tuned in again to what's happening around you when you wear your hearing aids. Many people who wear hearing aids say that in addition to helping you hear better, hearing aids can actually improve the quality of your life.

Virtually all patients wearing hearing aids complain about background noise at one time or another. There is no way to completely eliminate background noise.

Remember, when you had normal hearing there were times when background noise was a problem. It is no different now, even with properly fit hearing aids! The good news is there are circuits and features that help to reduce (or minimize) background noise and other unwanted sounds. In fact, there are research findings that clearly show that digital hearing aids with particular circuits, FM options, and directional microphones can effectively reduce background noises. Please speak to your hearing health care professional about these options.

Many early digital programmable (and even some digital circuits), which claimed to reduce or eliminate background noise, actually filtered out low frequency sounds. This indeed made the sounds appear quieter; however, not only was that background noise made quieter, but so also, was the speech sound.

Newer ways to reduce background noise are based on timing and amplitude cues and other complex noise processing strategies, which 100% digital hearing aids can process. These methods work, but are not perfect. Directional microphones are available and are useful as they help to focus the amplification in front of you, or towards the origin of the sound source. Directional hearing aids can offer a better signal-to-noise ratio in difficult listening situations by reducing the noise from the sides or behind you. In most 100% digital hearing aids, the noise control features help make noise more tolerable.

When you wear hearing aids for the first time, you'll probably notice your voice sounds funny! You'll hear your voice amplified through the hearing aid and some people describe this sensation as feeling "plugged up" or hearing your voice echoing. This is normal and will usually go away in a few days after you have given yourself a chance to get accustomed to your new hearing aids. However, there are adjustments the audiologist can make to relieve these symptoms, should they persist beyond the first few days, or if they are intolerable and need to be addressed immediately.

Yes, hearing aids are the best way to help hearing loss, but no prosthetic device is going to equal perfectly normal hearing. Verbal communication is a two way street. There is the speaker and the listener. For good communication to occur the speaker needs to get the listener's attention, articulate their words well and NEVER SHOUT! Shouting will always cause the hearing aid to compress or distort the speech signal. The additional help comes from simply talking at your normal speech loudness, but at a slightly slower rate.

Hearing aids are simple to care for. Most hearing aid repairs are due to moisture and earwax accumulating in the hearing aid. The vast majority of these repairs are preventable. It's important to clean your instruments every time you remove them from your ear. Your professional can instruct you on how best to clean your particular model, and will most likely give you some small tools to brush the aid and clean ear wax from the sound bore and vent hole. To best protect your investment, use a DRY-AID kit each night. These kits remove moisture that has accumulated in the instrument (from perspiration, humidity, etc.) and can extend the life of your hearing aids. Electronic dry-aid kits are best. They include a germicidal light that kills most bacteria and other germs, desiccants to absorb moisture, and fans to circulate air through the internal components of the hearing aids. They can be purchased through your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist. Avoid dropping your hearing instruments on hard surfaces - the shock can damage the receiver and other miniature electronic components. Keep your instruments in their case or your dry aid kit when they're not in your ears. It's not uncommon for hearing aids to get lost when they're put in a pocket or purse without their designated case. It's also not uncommon for dogs to chew on hearing aids left laying out! Preventive maintenance is the key to longer lasting hearing aids. Well maintained hearing aids can last five years or longer, so a little maintenance will go a long way!

Copyright 2011. Reprinted with permission from Healthy Hearing - www.healthyhearing.com - Visit the site for more information.

All batteries are toxic and dangerous if swallowed. Keep all batteries (and hearing aids) always from children and pets. If anyone swallows a battery it is a medical emergency and the individual needs to see a physician immediately.

One question often asked is "How long does the battery last?" Typically they last 5-14 days based on 16 hours per day use cycle. Batteries are inexpensive, costing less than a dollar each. Generally, the smaller the battery size, the shorter the battery life. The sizes of hearing aid batteries are listed below along with their standard number and color codes.

Size 5 - Red
Size 10 (or 230) - Yellow
Size 13 - Orange
Size 312 - Brown
Size 675 - Blue

Today's hearing aid batteries are "zinc-air". Because the batteries are air-activated, a factory-sealed sticker keeps them "inactive" until you remove the sticker. Once the sticker is removed from the back of the battery, oxygen in the air contacts the zinc within the battery, and the battery is "turned-on". Since many of today's automatic hearing aids do not have "off" switches, removing the battery from the hearing aid circuit, by opening the battery door, when not in use, assures the device is turned off. Zinc-air batteries have a "shelf life" of up to three years when stored in a cool, dry environment. Storing zinc-air hearing aid batteries in the refrigerator has no beneficial effect on their shelf life. In fact - quite the opposite may happen. The cold air may actually form little water particles under the sticker. Water is made of oxygen and hydrogen. If the water vapor creeps under the sticker, oxygen may contact the zinc and the battery could be totally discharged by the time you peel off the sticker! Therefore, the best place to store batteries is in a cool dry place, like the back of your sock drawer, not the fridge!

Ear wax contains moisture which can affect the function of hearing aids. At the most basic level, a hearing aid is a piece of electrical equipment and like most electrical equipment it does not respond well to moisture. Keeping your hearing aids dry should extend their life and keep repairs to a minimum. Opening the battery door and letting the aids dry out overnight is normally adequate to keep hearing aids operating properly. However, some people have more moisture in their ear canals; in which case, there are a number of products that help remove moisture from hearing aids. Your hearing healthcare provider can advise you of specific options.

Batteries should be changed about every ten to 14 days. The exact schedule for changing batteries depends on the amount of time the hearing aids are worn and the power consumed over time. Most new digital hearing aids have battery warning indicators. Before the battery goes out, the hearing aid will "beep, beep, beep" to tell you you have another hour or two before the battery fails. Using excellent, fresh batteries is important, and changing batteries should take no longer than 60 seconds.