It is impossible to say exactly how many Americans live with hearing loss. And there are all kinds of reasons that explain this, ranging from the most personal and psychological to sociological. Frankly, a lot of people with hearing loss do not even know themselves that they suffer from it. But the best estimates land on somewhere between 13 and 14% of all adults in the United States have some detectable amount of disabling hearing loss.
Put another way, this statistic means that to no fewer than 38 million and as many as 48 million people have hearing loss. Sadly, a majority of these people do not take appropriate action to mitigate the effects that hearing loss has on their lives. But among those that do, hearing aids are by far the most common treatment that they depend on.
Contemporary hearing aids are small, only about 1.5 cm long, and they sit behind your ear discreetly. Both their sound and their fit are customized to meet your unique needs and, obviously, people come to depend on their hearing aids the same as anyone with less than perfect eyesight depends on their glasses. So any issues with them must be addressed immediately. A basic understanding of how they work will help with that.
Three Common Problems
The majority of problems that people face with their hearing aids all fall into three categories.
—The hearing aids die. They stop making any sound.
—The volume will not get loud enough.
—The sound is distorted.
How to Solve These Problems
Identifying & solving the cause of any of these problems begins with the same basic steps.
One
It sounds silly, but it is a very common mistake: check again to make sure that your hearing aids are on. And if they are, turn them off & on again. Doing this assures that all the delicate electronic components within your hearing aids are all started properly.
Two
If that hasn’t helped, inspect your hearing aids closely for any physical obstructions clogging them, such as moisture, earwax, or dust. Check the microphone, the tubing, & the ear mold.
Three
If your problem persists, look closely for minuscule cracks anywhere in your hearing aids.
Four
Double check your battery. Is it inserted correctly? The battery door closes as it should?
Five
Make sure that your volume is turned up. Turn it all the way down then back up again.
Six
Double check your settings. Contemporary hearing aids give you the option to toggle between different settings for different contexts, situations, and environments. Confirm that the problem you are experiencing is happening across all the various settings. You might just accidentally be in the wrong setting for the context that you are in and that alone can be very disorienting.
Seven
Maybe your battery needs replacing. If you have tried everything outlined above and you have replaced your battery and your problem persists, it could be that the battery contacts have corroded and need cleaning. Try lightly brushing this corrosion clean with a lightly damped sponge.
Another Kind of Problem
There is one more problem that people commonly experience with their hearing aids that will require a slightly different fix than those above: this problem is feedback.
You will recognize feedback when you hear it. It is a continuous, rolling, squeal, most often high-pitched. Feedback is most frequently caused when the fit of your hearing aid within your ear is not quite right.
Take your hearing aids out and then re-insert them. If the feedback continues, you probably need to get your fit adjusted. But if you are experiencing feedback and your fit seems to be just fine, then the feedback is probably due to impacted earwax warping the fit. Try cleaning your ears.
See Your Specialist
Proper maintenance of your hearing health requires upkeep. Your needs evolve over time. If you do not maintain regular checkups, same as you do with physicals or the dentist, your needs are likely to change without you noticing. Only your hearing health professional can give you objective assessments on your evolving needs.
And all electronic goods wear down over time. Make an appointment today with one of our specialists to make sure that your treatment is just right for what you need today and going forward.
After earning a degree in electronics in 1982, Ken began his career by doing hearing aid repairs. As a hearing device user since he was eight and now with over 30 years of experience fitting hearing aids, Ken personally understands the unique problems and solutions associated with hearing loss and hearing devices.
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That’s why we have a hearing care expert available to help.
If you have a question, or would like to speak to a professional privately about the challenges that you may be facing, then simply request a callback and we’ll call you for a friendly no-obligation conversation.