It May be Time to Replace Your Hearing Aids, But How Can You be Sure?

Small robot made of old tech is suggesting those with old hearing aids upgrade to new digital hearing aids.

If you are walking around with an old-school ear trumpet at hand than clearly, it’s time for an upgrade. Making that call when you have conventional hearing aids is trickier, though, so how does one know? Your ten year old hearing aids still function, right?

While it might be true that older hearing aids are better than no hearing aids, chances are what little advantage you get from using them comes at a price. In the last several years, hearing aids have advanced significantly. It’s gone from analog to digital, for starters, and there are functions now that weren’t even in the design phase a decade ago. Why should you be considering an upgrade? Here are some good reasons.

Old Hearing Aids Are Not Very Reliable

Lower quality or older hearing aids frequently have an aggravating buzzing noise. And it’s always a good time when you get near a phone and your hearing aid starts to feedback. That deafening feedback sometimes happens for no noticeable reason. Now why is this happening?

You’ve Become Desensitized to its Poor Quality

You’ve become accustomed to pondering why the sound of traffic is so loud or to going off quietly while everybody else has interesting conversation. Remember the time your grandchild performed a beautiful song for you, but you could only hear parts of what she sang because your hearing aids kept going out. But you still clapped.

These are all drawbacks connected with old hearing aids. Ten years ago the focus was on raising the volume. Now, unwanted noise can be filtered out and modern hearing aids can do lots of other truly awesome things.

The Old Ones Are Bleeding Money

When you’re considering upgrading your hearing aid, cost is a major consideration. Newer technology is not cheap, but neither is using an old, obsolete hearing aid. Analog devices need new batteries a lot. You can imagine how costly it will be, replacing batteries at least once a day.

Old hearings aids can potentially spend more time at the shop, also. If you think of your hearing aid like a 1992 Buick, you get the idea. It’s in the shop more than it’s in your ear and repairs expensive.

Nowadays, we Have Smart Technology

Bluetooth connectivity is a newer technology which has revolutionized hearing aid capability. You won’t get that in an analog unit. Having Bluetooth integrated into your digital hearing aid means that it connects to your phone, your computer, perhaps even your television (unless they’re a decade old, as well.)

The Secret to Everything is Communication

It has been found by research, that you may earn less money if you suffer from hearing loss. So it’s clear that it would be a benefit to your career if you had better hearing aids. It will be easier to hear what customers and your boss are saying. You will be capable of following directions without wondering if you heard it right and have critical interactions without worrying about whether your hearing aids will hold up or not.

Obviously, better communication means a better quality of life, also. You won’t have to go sit by yourself when people are having conversations. Feel free to get right in and connect with others.

You Only Want Your Hearing Aid to be More Stylish

When you look in the mirror at your old hearing aid, how do you feel? Clunky? Totally obvious? Oh my god? Flexibility and style are some of the more considerable reasons to replace your hearing aid. Today’s hearing aids come in a number of shapes, sizes, and colors. You can have one hidden so tight into your ear that no one will even notice it, or you can make a fashion statement with a visible hearing aid in your favorite color.

Signs That It’s Time

Now you know all the reasons why you should want a hearing aid upgrade, but not what you should specifically look for that says your device may end up being called an antique. Here are a few telltale signs that the time has come:

  • There are changes in your hearing. You don’t hear as good as you once did even with the hearing aid in.
  • Your life has evolved, and your hearing aid has a hard time keeping up. It’s a chore to take it out just to use the phone, or perhaps you’ve changed jobs and now have to cope with more background noise.
  • Your hearing aid keeps quitting. You really can’t rely on it functioning when you most need it.
  • It’s clear that you have an analog hearing aid. You should go digital as soon as possible.
  • Your ears feel weighted down. Analog hearing aids weigh a lot.
  • Your hearing aid sticks out like a sore thumb. That obsolete technology takes up a lot of space, too.
  • You constantly need to change the batteries. Modern hearing aids are frequently rechargeable and are also more energy efficient.

It’s not rocket science. If you’ve had your hearing aids for seven years or more, it’s time to upgrade and hear better.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.

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