Top Tips for Maintaining Your Hearing Aids during the Fall Season

Perhaps you’ve started to notice the leaves falling from the trees and the subtle dip in temperature. Those bright reds, yellows and oranges everywhere can only mean one thing – fall has arrived. It’s a great time of year to be with family and friends both indoors and outdoors.

However, if you have hearing loss and you use a hearing aid, it’s vital to maintain that hearing aid through this season. A damaged hearing aid may mean you don’t get to fully enjoy everything this season has to offer. Let’s take a look at more about hearing loss and how to maintain your hearing aid during the fall.

Using Your Hearing Aid

When you visit your audiologist for your hearing aid fitting, it will also be programmed to your specific requirements. It’s more important than ever for those specifications to be correct. If you’re having any trouble with your hearing aid, schedule an appointment with your audiologist to ensure that your hearing aid is programmed perfectly.

This is the perfect opportunity to discuss hearing aid maintenance with your audiologist. Your audiologist should have already given you some tips on how to keep your hearing aid safe and clean. If you have any other questions, now is the time to ask. In the meantime, here are some tips for maintaining your hearing aid during the autumn months.

Rain and Fog

Fall is temperamental when it comes to weather conditions. One minute there could be glorious sunshine and the next could be cold and wet. Some rain and fog should be expected through the season which means that the atmosphere naturally has more moisture.

Water can cause damage to hearing aids. Even waterproof devices should be kept dry where possible. If you’re out walking your dog in fog, you may not think to check your hearing aid afterwards. Fog can be deceiving where moisture is concerned so it’s important to allow your hearing aid to dry out when you get home.

Maintaining Your Hearing Aid in Rain and Fog

The best thing you can do when you’ve been out in the rain is to remove your hearing aid as soon as possible and open all of the compartments on it. Opening all of the doors will allow any trapped moisture to escape. Many audiologists now provide a dry box with hearing aids that allow the right environment for moisture to be removed.

If you find that your hearing aid is wet to the touch, you may need another form of intervention. Dry rice is an ideal way to absorb moisture quickly. Remove the batteries from your hearing aid and place it in a sealed jar full of dry rice. Leave for one hour and return to see if the moisture has been soaked up. If your hearing aid has been damaged by the water, you may need to make an appointment with your audiologist for repairs.

Maintaining Your Hearing Aid in the Wind

Wearing hats during the fall is a practicality because they keep you warm on colder days. However, they can interfere with the sound quality of your hearing aid. When the hearing aid is pushed further towards your ear, you may get a lot of feedback. Similarly, wind that reaches your hearing aid can result in a high-pitched whistling feedback that can be very annoying when you’re walking outdoors. The sound of the wind is picked up by your hearing aid microphone and can often sound amplified.

It can help to opt for loose fitting hats or hats that don’t cover your ears. When you want to

protect your ears from both cold and wind, a hooded coat is often the best option. A dome shaped umbrella will also help to protect you from all of the fall elements.

Maintaining Your Hearing Aid Outdoors

You may find that you’re outdoors in the dark the most during fall. There are many activities to take part in during this season and your hearing aid shouldn’t stop you. Be sure to have spare batteries with you wherever you go and be mindful of how your batteries can be damaged during cold snaps. The best thing you can do is test how much battery life is left in your hearing aid before going out. If your batteries are running low, it’s wise to recharge them or replace them before you take part in after dark activities.

If you have any questions about maintaining your hearing aids during the fall seasons, talk to one of our audiologists at Flynn Associates. We will answer any questions you have! Call us today at Concord (978) 759-3540 or Wellesley at (781) 943-5040.