If you are walking around with an old-school ear trumpet in hand than obviously, it’s time for an upgrade. Coming to that realization when you have conventional hearing aids is more difficult, though, so how does one know? Your ten year old hearing aids still function, right?
While it might be true that older hearing aids are better than nothing, it’s likely that what little benefit you get from using them comes at a cost. Hearing aid tech has progressed in the last few years. Some of the features of modern-day hearing aids hadn’t even been designed a decade ago. For starters, they’ve advanced to digital from analog. Why should you be thinking about an upgrade? Here are a few good reasons.
Old Hearing Aids Are Not Very Reliable
Older or even poor-quality hearing aids have real issues like that annoying buzz you hear every once in a while. And it’s always a great time when you get near a phone and your hearing aid begins to feedback. Occasionally that shrill feedback comes from nowhere, too. What caused it this time?
You’ve Gotten Used to Its Failings
You’ve become accustomed to wondering why the sound of traffic is so loud or to going off quietly while everybody else has stimulating discussions. Do you remember that time when your hearing aid wouldn’t stop cutting out when you were attempting to listen to your grandchild sing a song and you could only hear some of what they were singing. But you still clapped.
These are all drawbacks linked to old hearing aids. Raising the volume was the primary goal in hearing aids a decade ago. Nowadays, unwelcome noise can be filtered out and modern hearing aids can do lots of other truly amazing things.
Outdated Hearing Aids Will Cost You More Money
When you’re thinking about a hearing aid upgrade, expense is a big factor. You will have 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 replacing the batteries on a daily basis, or even more often than that, the costs can get very high.
Repair costs can also escalate with older hearing aids. If you think of your hearing aid like a 1992 Buick, you get the point. Repairs are expensive and it’s always in the repair shop.
Today, we Have Smart Technology
Bluetooth connectivity is a newer technology which has revolutionized hearing aid capability. You won’t get that in an analog device. Your tablet, phone, and even your computer can be connected, via Bluetooth, to your hearing digital aid.
The Secret to Everything is Communication
It has been shown by research, that you will earn less money if you have hearing loss. So it’s clear that it would be a benefit to your career if you had newer hearing aids. It will be easier to hear what your boss and customers are saying. You won’t have to be concerned about missing some key piece of 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 good communication skills. You don’t need to sit like a wallflower during conversations anymore. Jump right in and engage with the people around you.
You Really Want a Sleeker Looking Hearing Aid
How do you feel when you check yourself out in the mirror wearing that old hearing aid? Clunky? Obvious? Does this make me look old? One of the most considerable advantages that come with upgrading old hearing aids is versatility and style. Modern hearing aids come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. You can have one hidden so tightly in your ear that nobody will even see it, or you can make a fashion statement with an out of the ear hearing aid in your favorite color.
Clues That It’s Time
Now you understand all the reasons you should want a hearing aid upgrade, but not what to specifically look for that says your device is at risk of being called an antique. Here are some telltale indications that the time has come:
- There are changes in your hearing. Even when you have the hearing aids in, it seems like you can’t hear as well.
- Your life has changed, and your hearing aid has a difficult time keeping up. Whenever you have to talk on the phone, you have to remove it and background noise has become a big problem.
- Your hearing aid randomly cuts out. It’s simply not dependable anymore, and that’s problematic.
- You know for sure that your hearing aid is analog. Ouch, go digital right away.
- Your ears feel weighted down. Analog hearing aids weigh a lot.
- Your hearing aid sticks out like a sore thumb. That old technology occupies a lot of space, as well.
- You constantly need to switch out the batteries. Modern hearing aids are more energy efficient, and many come with rechargeable batteries.
It’s an easy decision. It’s time to replace your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.