If you already wear hearing aids, you know that they can be quite expensive. Thankfully, hearing aids typically last between five to seven years – sometimes even longer – and are often able to be repaired if any issues occur. Here are some instances in which you might consider completely replacing your old hearing aids:
- Your hearing aids are needing more frequent repairs. Hearing aids don’t stop working just because they are seven years old. Sometimes, people might even use their hearing aids for 12 years! But, as audiologist Barbara Jenkins noted in a recent Hearing Health Foundation magazine article, most manufacturers only produce parts for their hearing aids for about five years before moving on to new models. Thus, older hearing aids are likely repaired with used parts. If your hearing aid needs frequent repairs, it might be time to look into purchasing new devices.
- You will want newer technology that has benefits you’ve been looking forward to. Just because hearing aids have the latest technology does not mean they’re the best fit for you. But if you’re an avid swimmer and you’ve been looking forward to waterproof hearing aids, you might be ready to purchase new devices when a promising waterproof device comes out.
- Some people might have increased hearing loss after a few years and realize that they need a more advanced device or one with different capabilities, such as Bluetooth®. People’s needs are ever changing, so after several years with one hearing aid – even if it’s functioning well enough – being in a different work situation or having a change in your hearing capacity could necessitate the need for new devices.
- If your health needs change, this might be cause for a new hearing aid. For example, arthritis in the fingers can decrease your dexterity and make changing hearing aid batteries a pain. In that case, it might be a good idea to select devices that have long-lasting, rechargeable batteries that need less frequent changing. Some hearing aids on the market today only need their batteries changed about once per year!
- Some people get tired of having to remember which programming button to press for their changing hearing environments. In this situation, it could be a good idea to switch to more intuitive hearing aids that adjust with your environment.
