You know it’s time to upgrade your hearing aid if you’re still using one of those old-school ear trumpets. Making that call when you wear conventional hearing aids is more difficult, though, so how does one know? Your decade old hearing aids still work, 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. Hearing aid tech has progressed in the last several years. It’s gone from analog to digital, for starters, and there are features now that weren’t even in the design phase 10 years ago. Why should you be considering an upgrade? Here are some good reasons.
Old Hearing Aids Are Not Very Reliable
Cheaper or older hearing aids frequently have an annoying buzzing noise. And it’s always a great time when you get near a phone and your hearing aid starts to feedback. That noisy feedback sometimes happens for no obvious reason. Now why is this happening?
You’ve Become Desensitized to its Low Quality
You’re used to sitting in quiet self-reflection while everybody around you participates in conversation or wondering why the air conditioner is so noisy. Remember that time when your hearing aid wouldn’t stop dropping out when you were attempting to listen to your grandson sing a song and you only heard some of what they were singing. Of course, you still clapped.
Older hearing aids have all of these kinds of problems. Turning up the volume was the primary goal in hearing aids a decade ago. Nowadays, undesirable noise can be filtered out and modern hearing aids can do many other really amazing things.
Old Hearing Aids Are Wasting Money
Cost is always an issue when considering an upgrade. You will need to make a preliminary purchase with new hearing aids but older ones will also be costly over time. Analog devices need new batteries a lot. You can imagine how expensive it will be, replacing batteries at least once a day.
Old hearings aids can potentially need repair, also. If you think of your hearing aid like a 1992 Buick, you’ll get the point. It’s in the repair shop more than it is in your ear and repairs expensive.
Nowadays, we Have Smart Tech
Bluetooth capability is a newer technology which has revolutionized hearing aid capability. You won’t find that in an analog device. Having Bluetooth integrated into your digital hearing aid means it’s compatible with your computer, your phone, possibly even your television (unless they’re ten years old, too.)
The Secret to Everything is Communication
It has been found by research, that you will earn less money if you suffer from hearing loss. Doesn’t it seem sensible then that newer hearing aids would be a career asset? You will be able to hear your boss and customers better. You will be capable of following directions without being concerned whether you got it right and have essential discussions without worrying about whether your hearing aids will cut out or not.
Obviously, stronger communication means an improved quality of life, as well. You won’t have to go sit alone when people are having conversations. Jump in and engage with the people around you.
You Just Want Your Hearing Aid to be Cooler
When you look in the mirror at your old hearing aid, how do you feel? Embarrassing? Totally obvious? Oh my god? Flexibility and style are some of the most significant reasons to upgrade your hearing aid. Today’s hearing aids come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. You can wear a visible one in your favorite color or a discrete one tucked invisibly inside your ear.
How to Know When it’s Time to Upgrade
Now you understand all the reasons why you should want a hearing aid upgrade, but not what to specifically look for that says your device is at risk of being called an antique. The time has come and here are the signs:
- There are changes in your hearing. You don’t hear as well as you once did even with the hearing aid in place.
- Your outdated hearing aid just can’t keep up with your changing life. Whenever you have to talk on the phone, you have to take it out and background noise has become a real issue.
- Your hearing aid keeps quitting. You just can’t count on it working when you need it most.
- You know for sure your hearing aid is analog. You need to go digital as soon as possible.
- Your hearing aid is heavy. Analog hearing aids weigh more.
- Your hearing aid is the only thing you see when you look in a mirror. That old technology takes up a lot of space, also.
- You need to replace the batteries every day. Contemporary hearing aids are more energy efficient, and many are rechargeable.
It’s not brain surgery. It’s time to upgrade your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.