How Long Should My Hearing Aids Last?

For correcting a range of hearing loss-related problems, hearing aids can be extremely helpful. The right hearing aids can amplify sounds to make hearing, in a range of settings, far easier, in addition to improving sound clarity. For anyone living with hearing loss, the right pair of hearing aids can be life-changing.

Once you’ve had a hearing test and worked with your audiologist to select your hearing aids, they will then custom program and fit the devices for you, ensuring that you’re comfortable and confident with how they work, how to adjust them and how to get the most out of them.

So, you’ve chosen hearing aids, but are now wondering how long they should last for? Below is a guide to how long hearing aids should last for, and the steps you can take to properly maintain them.

How Long Do Hearing Aids Tend to Last For?

The lifespan of hearing aids depends on a range of factors, including the quality of the hearing aids, in addition to how well they are cared for and maintained.

For instance, if you are someone who repeatedly gets their hearing aids wet and doesn’t care for them properly, the lifespan of the devices will diminish. Whereas, if you are careful about how you use your hearing aids and how you care for them, you can expect them to last for far longer.

As a rule of thumb, hearing aids tend to last from three years to seven years – sometimes for even longer than that. Often, the lifespan of a hearing aid depends on a range of variables, as discussed above, in addition to how often and for how long they’re worn on a regular basis.

What Factors Impact How Long Hearing Aids Last For?

There are a range of factors that will impact how long a hearing aid will last for, these include the materials used to make them, how frequently they’re cleaned, where the hearing aids are worn, how the hearing aids are stored. Other impacts such as the style and design of the hearing aids, the body physiology of the user, the frequency of maintenance, technological advancements and the person’s unique hearing needs.

Over time, the materials used to make hearing aids may begin to degrade. While most modern hearing aids feature a water, dust and moisture proof coating, they can still begin to degrade over time.

Failing to clean your hearing aids on a regular basis can have a significant impact on how long the devices will last for. Hearing aids are exposed to dust, moisture, skin oils, sweat, sunlight and earwax, which means that regular cleaning is vital. If you choose to only have your hearing aids cleaned once or twice a year, this can have a significant impact on how long your devices will last for.

Hearing aids that are often in damp or dusty environments don’t tend to last for as long as devices worn in other environments. The good news is that there are preventative measures that can be taken to protect hearing aids from these conditions – to find out more about how this works, speak to your audiologist.

Storing Your Device

How your hearing aids are stored is another factor that can impact how long they last for, so it pays to be mindful of how you store your devices when not in use. For hearing aids with disposable batteries, it’s best to store them with the battery door open. For rechargeable hearing aids, you may notice that over time the battery efficiency drops. If this happens, ask your audiologist about the option of replacing the batteries. Also, using a case that features a dehumidifier can also be beneficial for increasing the lifespan of your devices.

The hearing aid style does also impact how long the devices last for. According to various studies, the behind-the-ear hearing aid styles tend to offer longer lifespans than other forms of hearing aids, which may be because the electrical components aren’t sat in a damp ear canal, like other styles of inner ear hearing aids.

How often you maintain your hearing aids is another key factor in how long they will last. Most hearing aids feature a range of replaceable parts, so it’s vital that, if this is the case, you’re regularly swapping out these parts to keep your hearing aids functioning as well as possible, for as long as possible.

To find out more about hearing aid technology, get in touch with the team at Affordable Audiology & Hearing Service, get in touch today at (920) 267-5220.