Hearing Aid Repairs: When to Contact Your Audiologist

Hearing aids are built to withstand every aspect of our day-to-day lives, but it’s crucial to remember they are incredibly delicate electronic devices that are as susceptible to damage as any other electronic device.

The key to keeping hearing aids in optimal shape is a gentle, efficient and regular cleaning regime. However, even well cared for hearing aids will eventually need to be repaired or replaced, as technology does not last forever.

There are some occasions where you may be able to resolve a hearing aid issue at home (a thorough clean and new battery will deal with many common problems) and there are more serious issues that will warrant a visit to your hearing instrument specialist (HIS) for repairs or adjustments.

1. You are experiencing pain or discomfort. If your hearing aids have become uncomfortable or painful to wear it is likely that you ears have changed shape over time and your devices need to be re-fitted. If you are a new hearing aid user and you experience this problem it is likely the adjustments need to be made to the fit of the hearing aid; this is not uncommon, contact your HIS immediately.
2. Your hearing aid is completely dead. First, check that your device is switched on, the volume is turned to the correct level and the batteries are new and correctly inserted. If this doesn’t work it is time to contact your hearing instrument specialist. If your hearing aids are relatively new it may require some tweaking of programs or settings. Older hearing aids that usually work perfectly may need to be sent back to the manufacturer for repairs or replacement parts.
3. Your hearing aid is producing distorted sound or excessive feedback. If there are no obvious problems with the batteries or settings then your hearing aid could be in need of a repair; you should contact your HIS.
4. Your hearing aid is not performing as well as it once did. If you have had your hearing aids for three years or more and have noticed a steady decline in performance you should run through the typical list of troubleshooting steps. Check to make sure new, fresh batteries are inserted, there is a shelf life on batteries and if yours are past that it could cause your hearing aids to malfunction. Look over your hearing aid to make sure the settings are correctly enabled and the power is switched on. Contact your hearing instrument specialist if these steps do not alleviate the problem.

Hearing aids function like any piece of technology, which means from time to time they may be prone to troubleshooting or repairs. If you’ve tried the above tips and are still having issues with your devices, don’t hesitate to contact your hearing instrument specialist to have your hearing aids checked.