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Hearing aids are devices for everyday use. They are in a challenging environment every day. Dust, moisture, earwax, sweat, etc. have a detrimental effect on any model, regardless of price and manufacturer.
Do you want to get the maximum of your purchased devices? Do you want to extend their service life? Let’s take a look at hearing aid supplies together to help you get the results you want.
What hearing aid supplies do you need?
Hearing aids are irreplaceable assistants for people with hearing impairment. They differ from each other in type, design, functionality, etc. Electronic devices not only amplify all sounds but also have additional functions. Today’s digital hearing aid is a miniature computer. It means that it requires appropriate maintenance.
According to studies, only about 15% of Americans with hearing loss seek help and use hearing aids. These are millions of people! When you buy a hearing aid, you get the device and cleaning tools. Do you want to get the maximum benefit of your devices? Then you cannot do without additional accessories for them.
Dr. Zhanneta Shapiro has prepared some hearing aid supplies, which you can use to extend the life of your models. Let’s take a look at each of them in detail.
Hearing aid domes and earmolds
Hearing aid domes are an essential part of most devices. Depending on the type, they perform sound-conducting, fixing, correcting, and sound-insulating functions. All domes are divided into subcategories.
Most domes are made of soft, non-allergenic silicone. They are shaped like a dome, mushroom, drop, etc. Such tips are short-lived. Their advantage is that you can install such a dome immediately and with it, you can start adapting to the hearing aid. There are several types of them:
Open Domes have multiple vents that allow the user to hear natural sounds (for example, his voice). Open domes help prevent the “occlusion effect”
Closed Domes usually have no more than 1 small hole. They are more suitable for moderate or severe hearing loss
Power Domes are the most occlusive tips. These tips are used for severe hearing loss
Hearing aid domes should be replaced every few months due to rapid wear.
Hearing care professionals make individual earmolds to order from different materials. To do this, they use casts of the ear canal and auricle. Earmolds are especially relevant for young and middle-aged children, as well as for individuals with more severe hearing loss.
Power supplies
If you are starting to use the hearing aid, you may have questions about its power supply. Today, all devices have two types of power supply:
Special zinc-air batteries
Rechargeable lithium batteries
Charge your devices with lithium batteries every night. If you bought a model with zinc-air batteries, be sure to have spare ones. Set a schedule of when you change your batteries, so that you don’t end up needing to change a battery in the middle of the day.
When looking for hearing aid batteries, it’s best to go to specialized places, such as Audiology Island. We’ll choose the right option for each model. There are four types of batteries, depending on the size and energy intensity: 10, 13,312, and 675. This information is indicated on the package (blister).
Hearing aid wax guards
As the name suggests, hearing aid wax guards help protect devices from the harmful effects of earwax, moisture, etc. Each person has a different intensity of earwax production. Therefore, the replacement time of wax guards depends only on the degree of their contamination. What indicates the need for replacement? Most often the devices with start sounding low, or will stop working completely.
This leads to the fact that the device is not able to perform as well as it should and the person once again is not hearing as well as he/she was. This, in turn, interferes with the restoration of the lost hearing and, at times, can aggravate the existing problems.
Hearing aid dehumidifiers
Hearing aids are complex electronic devices. Therefore, it is not surprising that moisture is very destructive for them. If you can save them from rain or a shower, for example, by removing them in advance, it won’t be that easy to get rid of perspiration. It’s especially true for hot seasons or areas with high humidity. Moisture and sweat are most harmful to devices in such conditions.
Therefore, you must put more effort into keeping your devices dry. Today there are simple and effective methods for this:
Hearing aid dehumidifiers. These devices look like watch boxes. Electric dehumidifiers use air and heat to dry. Some models have an ultraviolet light function
Small box with absorbing material. It absorbs all types of moisture, including sweat and condensation
Hearing aid cleaning tools
One of the ways to prolong the life of your hearing aid is to regularly clean it. You need special tools for cleaning:
Special brush for cleaning. Soft bristles gently clean the body and sound tube of the device. Often there is a magnet on the brushes for removing the battery
Wire loop or wax separator. You can safely remove ear wax with it and dirt particles from all openings
Microfiber cloth and cleaning sprays. Such products remove not only dirt but also harmful microorganisms
We’ve covered hearing aid supplies, which are necessary for the best performance. And what about the devices themselves? What are the most fragile and expensive components?
All devices have the main components: microphone, amplifier, receiver, and battery. We have already discussed the battery. The microphone, amplifier, and receiver are fragile components, which require continuous maintenance. Carefully monitor the condition of these components, remembering to clean and protect them from moisture in time. If you find damage on the body, a bare wire, etc., then it’s better to contact a specialist for repair.
Remember that a hearing aid is a complex device. But if you take care of it, replace hearing aid supplies in time, and visit your audiologist for continuous maintenance, then it will serve you for many years!
About Dr Zhanneta Shapiro
Dr Zhanneta Shapiro received her Masters of Science from Brooklyn College in 2005 and completed her Doctorate of Audiology from Florida University in May 2008. Her graduate training was in various hospitals in the tri-state area and a residency period completed at Ear Nose and Throat Associates of New York. [ Learn More ]
