If you still have an old-school ear trumpet at hand than clearly, it’s time to upgrade. Making that call when you have conventional hearing aids is trickier, however, so how does one know? Your decade old hearing aids still work, right?
Maybe you are better off using older hearing aids than having none, what’s the real cost? Hearing aid tech has progressed in the last few years. Some of the functions of modern hearing aids hadn’t even been designed 10 years ago. For starters, they’ve advanced to digital from analog. Consider some reasons why you should be thinking about an upgrade.
Your Old Hearing Aid Isn’t That Dependable
Cheaper or older hearing aids often have an annoying buzzing noise. What about that feedback whenever you get near a phone, that’s a lot of fun. That noisy feedback sometimes happens for no apparent reason. What caused it now?
You’ve Become Used to Its Failings
You’re used to sitting in quiet self-reflection while everybody around you is involved in conversation or questioning why the air conditioning unit is so loud. Remember the time your grandchild sang you a great song she learned at school, but you only heard every other word because your hearing aids kept going out. Of course, you still clapped.
These are all weaknesses associated with outdated hearing aids. A decade ago the emphasis was on turning up the volume. These days, hearing aids perform magic tricks such as filtering out background noise, so say goodbye to the air conditioner.
The Old Ones Are Bleeding Money
When you’re considering upgrading your hearing aid, expense is a major consideration. The new technology is not cheap, but neither is wearing an old, obsolete hearing aid. Analog hearing aids need new batteries frequently. If you are replacing the batteries on a daily basis, or even more often than that, the costs add up.
Out of date hearings aids can potentially need repair, too. If you think of your hearing aid like you think of a 1992 car you would get the point. It’s in the repair shop more than it’s in your ear and repairs expensive.
Smart Tech is a Thing Now
Bluetooth capability is a newer technology that has revolutionized hearing aid functionality. An analog device won’t come with that feature. Having Bluetooth integrated into your digital hearing aid means that it’s compatible with your phone, your computer, possibly even your tv (unless they’re a decade old, too.)
The Secret to Everything is Communication
Studies show that hearing loss can lead to a lower paycheck. So it’s obvious that it would be a benefit to your career if you had better hearing aids. You will be able to hear customers and your boss better. You won’t have to be concerned about missing some crucial piece of information or if your hearing aid battery will die when you need it most.
And clearly you will have an improved quality of life if you have good communication skills. You won’t have to go sit alone while people are having conversations. Jump in and get involved with the people around you.
You Really Want a Sleeker Looking Hearing Aid
When you look in the mirror at your old hearing aid, how do you feel? Awkward? Obvious? Oh my god? One of the most significant perks that come with replacing old hearing aids is flexibility and style. You can get hearing aids in lots of colors, sizes, and shapes today. You can have one hidden so tightly in your ear that no one will ever see it, or you can make a fashion statement with an out of the ear hearing aid in your favorite color.
How to Recognize When it’s Time to Upgrade
Now you recognize why a hearing aid upgrade is important, so now it’s time to find out what makes a hearing aid obsolete. Here are some telltale 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 life has changed, and your hearing aid has a hard time keeping up. Whenever you need to use the phone, you have to take it out and background noise has become a real issue.
- Your hearing aid keeps quitting. It’s simply not dependable anymore, and that’s an issue.
- It’s clear that you have an analog hearing aid. You ought to go digital as soon as possible.
- Your hearing aid feels heavy. Analog hearing aids weigh a lot.
- Your hearing aid juts out like a sore thumb. That old technology occupies a lot of space, too.
- You need to replace the batteries constantly. Contemporary hearing aids are frequently rechargeable and are also more energy efficient.
It’s an easy decision. If you’ve had your hearing aids for more than seven years, it’s time to trade up and hear better.