You know it’s time to upgrade your hearing aid if you’re still using one of those old-fashioned ear trumpets. When you use conventional hearing aids, making that call is more challenging. You got your hearing aids a decade ago, and they still do the job, right?
Maybe you are better off using obsolete hearing aids than having none, what’s the real price? Hearing aid tech has advanced in the last several years. It’s gone from analog to digital, for starters, and there are functions now that weren’t even in the design phase 10 years ago. Consider some reasons why you should be considering an upgrade.
Old Hearing Aids Are Unreliable
Outdated or even poor-quality hearing aids have serious issues like that aggravating buzz you hear every now and again. What about that feedback any time you get close to a phone, that’s enjoyable. That loud feedback sometimes happens for no noticeable reason. What caused it this time?
You’ve Become Desensitized to its Low Quality
You’ve become accustomed to wondering why the sound of traffic is so loud or to going off quietly while everyone else has interesting conversation. Remember the time your grandchild sang you a great song she learned at school, but you only heard parts of what she sang because your hearing aids kept cutting out. You still clapped, though.
Older hearing aids have all of these types of issues. A decade ago the emphasis was on turning up the volume. Now, unwanted noise can be filtered out and modern hearing aids can do many other really awesome things.
Old Hearing Aids Can be Expensive
When you’re considering a hearing aid upgrade, cost is a big factor. You will need to make an initial investment with new hearing aids but old ones will also be expensive with time. Analog devices need new batteries a lot. If you are purchasing new batteries on a daily basis, or even more often than that, the costs can get very high.
Out of date hearings aids can potentially need repair, also. If you think of your hearing aid like you think of a 1992 car you would get the point. Repairs are expensive and it’s constantly in the shop.
Smart Technology is a Thing Now
Many modern hearing aids come with Bluetooth capabilities. An analog hearing aid won’t come with that feature. Having Bluetooth built into your digital hearing aid means it’s compatible with your phone, your computer, maybe even your television (unless they’re a decade old, as well.)
Communication is The Secret to Everything
It has been found by research, that you may earn less money if you have hearing loss. So it’s clear that it would be an asset to your career if you had better hearing aids. You will be able to hear your boss and customers better. You will follow directions without wondering if you heard it right and have essential conversations without worrying about whether your hearing aids will cut out or not.
And obviously you will have an improved quality of life if you have effective communication skills. You won’t need to go sit alone while people are talking. Feel free to get right in and engage with others.
You Really Want a Sleeker Looking Hearing Aid
How do you feel when you look at yourself in the mirror wearing that old hearing aid? Clunky? Totally obvious? Oh my god? Versatility and style are some of the more significant reasons to upgrade your hearing aid. You can buy hearing aids in many colors, sizes, and shapes now. You can have one hidden so tightly in your ear that nobody will even notice it, or you can make a fashion statement with an out of the ear hearing aid in your favorite color.
Signs That It’s Time
Now you see why a hearing aid upgrade is worthwhile, now it’s time to find out what makes a hearing aid outdated. The time has come and here are the signs:
- Your hearing has changed. You don’t hear as good as you used to even with the hearing aid in.
- Your life has changed, and your hearing aid has a hard time keeping up. Every time you need to use the phone, you have to take it out and background noise has become a real problem.
- Your hearing aid randomly quits working. You just can’t count on it working when you need it most.
- You know for sure that your hearing aid is analog. You should go digital as soon as you can.
- Your ears feel weighted down. Clunky, old technology weighs more.
- Your hearing aid sticks out like a sore thumb. Back when that old hearing aid was new, technology was much larger.
- You constantly need to switch out the batteries. Modern hearing aids are often rechargeable and are also more energy efficient.
It’s an easy decision. It’s time to replace your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.
