You know it’s time to upgrade your hearing aid if you’re walking around with one of those old-school ear trumpets. Coming to that realization when you have conventional hearing aids is trickier, however, so how does one know? You bought your hearing aids ten years ago, and they still do the job, right?
It’s possible that you are better off using older hearing aids than having none, what’s the real price? In the last few years, hearing aids have dramatically advanced. Some of the functions of contemporary hearing aids hadn’t even been designed a decade ago. For starters, they’ve advanced to digital from analog. Why should you be considering an upgrade? Here are some good reasons.
The Old One Isn’t That Dependable
Outdated or even low-quality hearing aids have real issues like that annoying buzz you hear every now and again. And it’s always a great time when you get near a phone and your hearing aid begins to feedback. At times that high pitched feedback comes from nowhere, too. What caused it now?
You’ve Become Desensitized to its Low Quality
You’ve become accustomed to wondering why the sound of traffic is so noisy or to sitting quietly while everybody else has stimulating discussions. Do you remember that time when your hearing aid kept cutting out while you were trying to hear your grandchild sing a song and you could only hear parts of what they were singing. Of course, you still clapped.
All of these are failings linked to outdated hearing aids. A decade ago the attention was on raising the volume. Nowadays, undesirable noise can be filtered out and modern hearing aids can do lots of other really amazing things.
Outdated Hearing Aids Will Cost You More Money
Cost is always a factor when considering an upgrade. Newer tech is not cheap, but neither is wearing an old, obsolete hearing aid. You will be continually replacing batteries with an analog hearing aid. If you are purchasing new batteries on a daily basis, or even more often than that, the costs add up.
Repair costs can also escalate with older hearing aids. If you think of your hearing aid like you think of a 1992 car you would understand where we are coming from. It’s in the shop more than it’s in your ear and repairs expensive.
Today, we Have Smart Tech
Bluetooth capability is a newer technology that has revolutionized hearing aid capability. An analog device won’t have that feature. Having Bluetooth integrated into your digital hearing aid means that it’s compatible with your phone, your computer, maybe even your television (unless they’re a decade old, too.)
Communication is The Key to Everything
Studies show that hearing loss can lead to a lower paycheck. Doesn’t it make sense then that better hearing aids would be a career asset? You will hear your boss and customers better. You won’t have to be concerned about missing some crucial information or if your hearing aid battery will die when you need it most.
And obviously you will have an improved quality of life if you have strong 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 Only Want Your Hearing Aid to be Cooler
What do you think when you look at yourself in the mirror with that old hearing aid? Clunky? Totally obvious? Oh my god? One of the most considerable perks that come with replacing old hearing aids is flexibility and style. You can purchase hearing aids in many colors, shapes, and sizes now. You can wear a visible one in your favorite color or an internal one hidden from sight inside your ear.
How to Recognize When it’s Time to Upgrade
Now you understand all the reasons you should get a hearing aid upgrade, but not what you should specifically look for that says your device is at risk of being called an antique. The time has come and here are the signs:
- There are changes in your hearing. Even when you have the hearing aids in your ears, it seems as if you can’t hear as well.
- Your life has evolved, and your hearing aid has a hard time keeping up. It’s annoying to take it out just to talk on the phone, or perhaps you got a new job and now have to cope with more background noise.
- Your hearing aid keeps quitting. It’s simply not reliable anymore, and that’s a problem.
- You know for a fact that your hearing aid is analog. You need to go digital as soon as possible.
- Your hearing aid is heavy. Analog hearing aids weigh a lot.
- Your hearing aid juts out like a sore thumb. That old technology occupies a lot of space, as well.
- You constantly need to replace the batteries. Contemporary hearing aids are more energy efficient, and many are rechargeable.
It’s not rocket science. It’s time to upgrade your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.