If you still have an old-fashioned ear trumpet at hand than clearly, it’s time for an upgrade. Making that call when you wear conventional hearing aids is trickier, though, so how does one know? Your ten year old hearing aids still function, right?
Maybe you are better off using obsolete hearing aids than having none, what’s the real cost? In the past several years, hearing aids have advanced substantially. It’s gone from analog to digital, for starters, and there are features now that weren’t even invented 10 years ago. Why should you be thinking about an upgrade? Here are a few good reasons.
The Old Hearing Aid is Not That Dependable
Older or even low-quality hearing aids have serious problems like that aggravating buzz you hear every once in a while. How about that feedback whenever you get near a phone, that’s a lot of fun. At times that high pitched feedback comes out of nowhere, too. Now why is this happening?
You’ve Become Desensitized to its Low Quality
You’re used to going to a quiet place while everyone around you engages in conversation or questioning why the air conditioner is so loud. Remember that time when your hearing aid wouldn’t stop dropping out while you were trying to hear your grandson sing a song and you could only hear some of what they were singing. You still clapped, though.
Outdated hearing aids have all of these types of issues. A decade ago the attention was on raising the volume. Now, unwanted noise can be filtered out and modern hearing aids can do many other really awesome things.
The Old Ones Are Wasting Money
Expenses are always a factor when considering an upgrade. Newer tech is not cheap, but neither is wearing an old, out-of-date hearing aid. Analog devices need new batteries frequently. If you are purchasing new batteries on a daily basis, or even more often than that, the costs can get very high.
Old 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. Repairs are expensive and it’s constantly in the repair shop.
Smart Technology is a Thing Now
Many modern hearing aids come with Bluetooth capabilities. You won’t find that in an analog device. Your tablet, phone, and even your computer can be connected, using Bluetooth, to your hearing digital aid.
The Key to Everything is Communication
Studies reveal 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 hear customers and your boss better. You won’t have to be concerned about missing some important information or if your hearing aid battery will quit when you need it most.
And obviously you will have an improved quality of life if you have good communication skills. You don’t have to sit like a wallflower during discussions anymore. Feel free to get right in and engage with others.
You Just Want Your Hearing Aid to be More Stylish
What do you think when you check yourself out in the mirror wearing that old hearing aid? Embarrassing? Totally obvious? Does this make me look old? Flexibility and style are some of the most significant reasons to replace your hearing aid. You can buy hearing aids in lots of colors, sizes, and shapes today. You can have one concealed so tightly in your ear that no one will ever notice it, or you can make a fashion statement with an out of the ear hearing aid in your favorite color.
Indications That It’s Time
Now you understand all the reasons why 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 indications:
- There are changes in your hearing. You don’t hear as well as you used to even with the hearing aid in your ear.
- Your old hearing aid just can’t keep up with your changing life. It’s a pain to take it out just to use the phone, or perhaps you got a new job and now have to deal with more background noise.
- Your hearing aid keeps quitting. You just can’t rely on it working when you most need it.
- You know for sure that your hearing aid is analog. Ouch, go digital right away.
- Your ears feel heavy. Awkward, old technology weighs more.
- Your hearing aid is the only thing you see when you look in a mirror. That obsolete technology takes up a lot of space, too.
- You are replacing the batteries every day. Contemporary hearing aids are usually rechargeable and are also more energy efficient.
It’s an easy decision. It’s time to upgrade your hearing aids if they’re more than 7 years old.