Say, for instance, you’ve developed arthritis in your hands. Your health has changed.įeatures that didn’t bother you when you bought your existing pair may now be an issue. “Rather, you may need reprogramming to your new hearing thresholds to help improve your daily communication.” 2. “If there are changes to your hearing, you may not need new hearing aids,” says audiologist Bria Collins, associate director of audiology professional practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. ![]() An audiologist can determine whether you need to upgrade to a new pair or simply have your current set adjusted. One sign you’ve outgrown your existing pair? You turn up the volume on your hearing aids - or the television - louder than you used to. Your hearing has changed.Īge-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, can worsen even if you’ve been wearing hearing aids for a while. Here are five reasons a change may be in order. “An audiologist can explain the advantages and disadvantages of repair and readjustment versus replacement,” he says. A hearing specialist can help steer you in the right direction. In other words: There’s more at play than just quality of life. “There is growing evidence suggesting that hearing aids that are not adjusted appropriately for an individual’s hearing loss lead to distinctly different neural signatures of brain activation compared to properly adjusted hearing aids,” meaning your brain may be working harder than necessary to process sound. Making sure your hearing aids are still programmed to compensate for your specific hearing loss is key, he adds. The hearing aids are still functioning well, but they’re not appropriate for your hearing loss anymore.” Second, your hearing loss could have changed with time. “First, they may be malfunctioning and therefore not providing adequate or appropriate amplification anymore. ![]() If your existing pair of hearing aids isn’t getting the job done, how do you know whether to have them repaired or replaced? “Hearing aids can become ineffective due to two primary reasons,” says Sumit Dhar, professor of hearing science at Northwestern University.
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