Happy New Year! Set yourself up for hearing success in 2026 by starting the year with some hearing aid maintenance. Your hearing aids are a significant investment that keeps you connected to the world of sound and strengthens your social connections; let’s bring those benefits to the new year.
Assessing Your Hearing Aids
First, you can perform a quick check-in with yourself regarding your hearing aids. Ask yourself:
- Are your hearing aids still meeting your daily listening needs?
- Are they functioning properly?
- Is battery life healthy?
- Are sound quality and volume levels still adequate?
- Have you experienced recurring feedback, distortion or other issues?
- Are they still fitting comfortably in your ears?
Don’t settle when it comes to your hearing. If your hearing aids are not meeting your hearing needs, you should address the problem.
Deep Cleaning and Maintaining Your Devices
You should be cleaning your hearing aids just about every day, but this time of year is the perfect time to perform a deep cleaning. In addition to your regular regimen, take these extra steps:
- Use a wax removal tool, such as a wax pick or wax loop, to remove stubborn buildup from the smaller nooks and crannies that a soft cloth misses.
- Consider getting a hearing aid vacuum. You may be surprised by how much they pull up.
- Change the wax filter if it’s been a while. Clogged filters are one of the leading causes of hearing aid malfunctions.
- Change the domes if it’s been a while. They should be replaced every one or two months.
This is also a good time to maintain the objects and accessories surrounding your hearing aids. Check your stock of batteries and domes and replenish them if needed. If you use any hearing aid accessories regularly, such as clip-on microphones or TV streamers, ask yourself if they’re still working adequately.
Meeting with Your Audiologist
Just like your car, hearing aids need a regular professional tune-up. Now is the perfect time to make an appointment with your audiologist for a tune-up. Your audiologist will:
- Use professional-grade cleaning tools to clean the delicate components of your hearing aids, such as the microphone.
- Evaluate the progression of your hearing loss to ensure your current hearing aids are still meeting your hearing needs.
- Perform minor repairs, if necessary.
- Work with you to adjust or create listening programs for complex listening situations.
- Update your prescription based on any changes in lifestyle, health, medications or work.
We at Beneficial Hearing Aid Center want you to have a happy, hearing-healthy new year in 2026. Call us today to schedule a tune-up appointment and bring good hearing into 2026.