If you still have an old-fashioned ear trumpet in hand than clearly, it’s time to upgrade. Making that call when you have conventional hearing aids is more difficult, though, so how does one know? You bought your hearing aids a decade ago, and they still do the job, right?
While it may be true that older hearing aids are better than nothing, chances are what little advantage you get from them comes at a cost. In the past few years, hearing aids have dramatically advanced. Some of the functions of contemporary hearing aids hadn’t even been invented a decade ago. For starters, they’ve gone to digital from analog. Consider some reasons why you should be thinking about an upgrade.
Old Hearing Aids Are Unreliable
Lower quality or older hearing aids frequently have an annoying buzzing sound. And it’s always a fun time when you get close to a phone and your hearing aid begins to feedback. That noisy feedback sometimes happens for no obvious reason. What caused it now?
You’ve Become Desensitized to its Poor Quality
You’ve become accustomed to pondering why the sound of traffic is so loud or to going off quietly while everyone else has stimulating conversation. Remember when your hearing aid kept cutting out while you were attempting to listen to your grandson sing a song and you only heard some of what they were singing. But you still clapped.
Old hearing aids have all of these kinds of issues. Ten years ago the emphasis was on raising the volume. Nowadays, undesirable 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 thinking about upgrading your hearing aid, expense is a big factor. You will need to make a preliminary purchase with new hearing aids but old ones will also be expensive with time. You will be continually buying new batteries with an analog hearing aid. If you are buying new batteries every single day, or even more than once a day, the costs can get very high.
Repair costs can also escalate with out dated hearing aids. If you picture your hearing aid as a 1992 Buick, you get the idea. Repairs are expensive and it’s constantly in the shop.
Today, we Have Smart Technology
Bluetooth capability is a newer technology which has revolutionized hearing aid functionality. You won’t get that in an analog device. Your phone, tablet, and even your computer can be connected, using Bluetooth, to your hearing digital aid.
Communication is The Secret to Everything
Studies show that hearing loss can mean a lower paycheck. Doesn’t it seem sensible then that newer hearing aids would be a career asset? You will be able to hear your boss and customers better. You will follow directions without wondering if you heard it right and have critical interactions without worrying about whether your hearing aids will cut out or not.
And clearly you will have a better quality of life if you have effective communication skills. You don’t need to sit like a wallflower during conversations anymore. Feel free to get right in and engage with others.
You Really Want a More Stylish Looking Hearing Aid
How do you feel when you check yourself out in the mirror wearing that old hearing aid? Embarrassing? Totally obvious? Oh my god? Versatility and style are some of the more significant reasons to update your hearing aid. You can buy hearing aids in numerous colors, shapes, and sizes these days. You can wear a visible one in your favorite color or a discrete one tucked invisibly inside your ear.
How to Recognize That it’s Time to Upgrade
Now you recognize why a hearing aid upgrade is necessary, so now it’s time to determine what makes a hearing aid outdated. Here are a few telling signs that the time has come:
- Your hearing has changed. You don’t hear as good as you once did even with the hearing aid in your ear.
- Your old hearing aid just can’t keep up with your evolving life. It’s annoying to take it out just to use the phone, or maybe you got a new job and now have to cope with more background noise.
- Your hearing aid keeps quitting. It’s just not dependable anymore, and that’s an issue.
- It’s obvious that you have an analog device. Ouch, go digital fast.
- Your ears feel heavy. Analog hearing aids weigh a lot.
- Your hearing aid sticks out like a sore thumb. Back when that old hearing aid was made, technology was a lot larger.
- You need to replace the batteries every day. Contemporary hearing aids are more energy efficient, and some come with rechargeable batteries.
It’s an easy decision. It’s time to upgrade your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.