How Long Do Hearing Aids Last?

If you recently invested in a new pair of prescription hearing aids, you are most likely enjoying the amazing impact they have on your social life. Hearing aids make it easier to communicate, which can improve self-esteem, self-confidence and improve your sense of independence. Ultimately, hearing aids improve your quality of life, from your relationships, your career, to your cognitive health and general physical health. You are going to want to make sure to take the best care of these amazing devices so you get as much time as possible with them. Hearing aids are a significant and essential investment, so how long can you expect your hearing aids to work for you?

The Lifespan of a Hearing Aid

It is common for hearing aids to last three to seven years. While this may not seem like a very long time for your purchase, consider all the work a hearing aid does every day. Hearing aids are meant to be worn from the moment you get out of bed till the time you rest. They should only be taken out when bathing, swimming or resting. Over years, this is quite a lot of time to power a device. Especially a device which you come to rely on as much as hearing aids. You need hearing aids to communicate with friends and family, but they are just as essential at work. Hearing aids keep you aware of sounds around you which in turn keeps you and those around you safe. 

The Model of Hearing Aid and Longevity

Depending on the style you choose you may get less or more time with your hearing aids. In-the-ear hearing aids tend to last four to five years because they are exposed to more dirt and moisture in the ear canal. People choose these models because they are more discrete. Meanwhile, larger, behind-the-ear hearing aids have a five to six year lifespan due to stronger construction and a housing compartment that sits on your ear, keeping it away from the moisture of everyday wear.

Hearing Aid Maintenance

One thing which can make your hearing aid work to their maximum lifespan is how you care for them. These are very complex and tiny devices which do a lot of work for you daily. Keeping them clean and monitoring them for damage before it can become a more serious issue is key in extending the life of your hearing aids. Daily, your hearing aids are exposed regularly to sweat, skin oil, moisture, dust, and the elements of all kinds. Add cleaning your hearing aids, with a dry soft cloth to your pre bedtime routine. Inspect your hearing aids for cracks which could become worse and expose you hearing aids to moisture, which could short circuit the electronic components. Learn your hearing aids well so you can spot a problem before it progresses. 

In addition, when storing your hearing aids overnight, it’s a good idea to invest in a dehumidifying case. They can rest in a case while charging a battery or simply while you rest, to make sure sweat and moisture which builds up during the day doesn’t build up over time.

Advancements in Hearing Aids

Hearing aids have made huge advances over the past decade with no sign of slowing down. Today’s hearing aids come equipped with Bluetooth compatibility, rechargeable batteries, background noise suppression, tinnitus masking, and even artificial intelligence adaptability. Even aside from all the bells and whistles, hearing aids today excel because they can be programmed specifically for your particular hearing loss. Most everyone’s hearing loss is just a little different so this can eliminate the amplification of all sounds and just amplify the tones, pitches and sounds you need. If you are wearing an old pair of hearing aids, you might want to find out everything you’ve been missing. Contact us to find out what options there are for upgrades in hearing aids which could benefit you. You might discover features, you just don’t want to live without!

Monitoring Your Hearing Needs

Hearing loss is a progressive condition, which means that even with hearing aids your hearing can change over time. Make sure to continue to monitor your hearing ability. If your hearing has changed, we can often reprogram them to continue to work for you. However, you may, overtime, need a hearing aid with more power or added features. We can help you to continue to have the best listening experience possible so, instead of worrying about hearing you can focus on your beautiful and exciting life instead!