If you are walking around with an old-fashioned ear trumpet at hand than plainly, it’s time for an upgrade. Coming to that realization when you wear conventional hearing aids is trickier, though, so how does one know? Your decade old hearing aids still work, right?
While it could be true that older hearing aids are better than nothing, it’s likely that what little benefit you get from them comes at a price. In the past few years, hearing aids have advanced significantly. Some of the features of contemporary hearing aids hadn’t even been designed a decade ago. For starters, they’ve gone from analog to digital. Consider some reasons why you should be considering an upgrade.
Your Old Hearing Aid is Not That Reliable
Lower quality or older hearing aids frequently have an aggravating buzzing noise. And it’s always a fun time when you get close to a phone and your hearing aid starts to feedback. At times that shrill feedback comes out of nowhere, too. What caused it now?
You’ve Become Complacent With Its Failings
You’re now used to pondering why the sound of traffic is so noisy or to sitting quietly while everybody else has interesting discussions. Remember that time when your hearing aid wouldn’t stop dropping out when you were attempting to listen to your grandson perform a song and you only heard parts of what they were singing. You still clapped, though.
Old hearing aids have all of these types of issues. Turning up the volume was the primary goal in hearing aids ten years ago. Today, hearing aids do magic tricks such as filtering out background noise, so no more noisy air conditioner.
Older Hearing Aids Can be Expensive
When you’re thinking about upgrading your hearing aid, cost is a major consideration. You will need to make an initial purchase with new hearing aids but old ones will also be expensive over time. Analog devices require new batteries a lot. You can imagine how expensive it will be, replacing batteries at least once every day.
Out of date hearings aids can potentially spend more time at the shop, too. 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 always in the repair shop.
Today, we Have Smart Tech
Most contemporary hearing aids come with Bluetooth capabilities. An analog hearing aid won’t come with that feature. Your tablet, phone, and even your computer can be connected, via Bluetooth, to your hearing digital aid.
The Secret to Everything is Communication
Studies reveal that hearing loss can lead to a lower paycheck. Doesn’t it seem sensible then that better hearing aids would be a career asset? You will hear your boss and customers better. You won’t need to be concerned about missing some essential information or if your hearing aid battery will die when you need it most.
Of course, stronger communication means an improved quality of life, as well. You won’t need to go sit alone when people are having conversations. Jump right in and engage with the people around you.
You Just Want Your Hearing Aid to be More Stylish
When you look at your old hearing aid in the mirror, what words come to mind? Awkward? Totally obvious? Oh my god? One of the most substantial perks that come with replacing old hearing aids is design and versatility. 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 Know That it’s Time to Upgrade
Now you understand all the reasons why you should want a hearing aid upgrade, but not what you should specifically look for that says your device may end up being called an antique. Here are some telltale signs that the time has come:
- Your hearing has changed. Even when you have your hearing aids in your ears, it seems like you can’t hear as well.
- Your life has changed, and your hearing aid has a hard time keeping up. It’s a pain to take it out just to talk on the phone, or perhaps you’ve changed jobs and now have to cope with more background noise.
- Your hearing aid randomly quits working. You really can’t count on it working when you most need it.
- It’s clear that you have an analog device. Ouch, go digital right away.
- Your ears feel weighted down. Clunky, old technology weighs more.
- Your hearing aid is the only thing you see when you look in a mirror. Back when that old hearing aid was made, technology was much larger.
- You are replacing the batteries constantly. Contemporary hearing aids are more energy efficient, and some are rechargeable.
It’s an easy choice. It’s time to upgrade your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.