Your hearing aids are incredible pieces of technology that enhance communication, revitalize your social connections and boost your confidence. Without proper maintenance, however, they won’t serve your hearing loss needs as well as they could. The new year is the perfect time to check in with yourself, your hearing aids and your hearing health professional to ensure that you start the new year with the great hearing you deserve.
Check In with Yourself
Even with a solid hearing loss treatment program, hearing loss will continue to progress. Have you noticed any new signs of advanced hearing loss that aren’t being adequately addressed with your current pair of hearing aids? Consider if you’ve noticed things like:
- Difficulty following conversations
- Missing or mishearing words
- Trouble concentrating in places with lots of background noise
- Feeling tired after a long day of listening
You may be familiar with all of these symptoms from your journey with hearing loss, but don’t take subtle changes for granted.
Check In with Your Hearing Aids
Hearing aids are designed to be durable, but ultimately, they are delicate pieces of technology that sustain a lot of daily use. Over time, they will wear out. You should always be on the lookout for signs of deterioration, such as:
- Shortened battery life
- Sudden power issues
- Distorted sound
- Muffled sound
- Volume issues
- Feedback
Additionally, evaluate if they still fit comfortably in your ears. Your ear canals actually age and change shape over time, so it’s not uncommon for hearing aids to fit less well than they did a few years prior.
Check In with Your Audiologist
Even if you follow the above steps and determine that your hearing aids are functioning well (great!), we recommend scheduling repair appointments with your audiologist at least once a year. If you didn’t make it in for a visit in 2025, start 2026 off right by making an appointment.
At a basic maintenance appointment, your audiologist can assess if your hearing aids are still fitting your hearing loss needs, work with you to create or adjust existing listening programs for your lifestyle, perform any minor repairs and clean those hard-to-reach, delicate places.
Call Hearing Services of Santa Barbara today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to a great 2026 with you.