How Often do People Replace their Hearing Aids?

Your hearing aids may not last you forever, and there are all kinds of reasons why you may decide to change them. In some cases, the decision will be out of your hands. It’s vital to know when the right time is to change or replace your hearing aids since, if you leave it too long and your current hearing device doesn’t offer you the help it once did, your hearing loss will return even when you’re wearing it. 
 
Hearing aids typically need to be replaced every three to five years, although this frequency will depend on several different factors. If you have regular hearing checkups with an audiologist, they will be able to tell you if it’s time to change your hearing aids. However, there are other factors to consider; read on to find out what they are. 

Your hearing or health has changed 

If you wear eyeglasses, you’ll know that your prescription doesn’t stay the same for all time. As we age, our eyesight will deteriorate a little more, and the prescription in our lenses will need to be updated. The same is true of our hearing; as we get older, our hearing loss will increase, and so our hearing aids will need to be changed to ensure we can hear everything we need to. In other words, your current hearing aids may no longer be strong enough to help you, and you’ll need to switch to stronger ones. 
 
It’s not just a change in your hearing that can mean you need a new hearing aid; a change in your health can mean the same thing. If you develop arthritis, for example, you may need to have different hearing aids because you can no longer insert or remove your current ones easily. 
 
In essence, anything that changes in your health that can cause your current hearing aids to either no longer be powerful enough or easy to use may mean they have to be changed. 

Your hearing aids are more than five years old 

Modern hearing aids are made to last much longer than these devices did in the past – they are more robust, and it is easier to fix them when something goes wrong. Yet despite this, if your hearing aids are over five years old, you should replace them. If you do this even if nothing appears to be wrong with them, you are bypassing a time when things will start to get wrong. 
 
The truth is that all hearing aids go through a lot. You’re wearing them every single day for somewhere between 12-16 hours at a time in most cases. The fact that they can last as much as five years without having any problems is impressive, and to ensure you can continue to enjoy good hearing, it’s wise to exchange them before they start to go wrong. 
 
What’s great about exchanging your hearing aids every five years or so is that every time you get a new device or pair of devices, they are going to be even more advanced when it comes to the technology used to make them. 

You’ve made lifestyle changes 

It might not be a health issue or a timing issue that means it’s time to change your hearing aids; it could be a major lifestyle change. Remember, the hearing aid that your audiologist prescribed for you will have been recommended on the basis of what you needed at the time. If you worked in an office but have now retired, a different hearing aid may be of use. If you weren’t very active but you now like to go running, hiking, or cycling, you may benefit from a replacement hearing device. 
 
You may need to upgrade, but it might be that you can downgrade, switching to a more basic model because your needs have changed. Think about whether the life you had when you first started wearing your current hearing aid has changed significantly, and if so, you should speak to an expert about finding a new device that will suit you better. 

Your financial situation is better 

It might be that when you purchased your current hearing aid you decided to opt for a more basic model. If things have improved over the ensuing years and you want to upgrade to a more sophisticated model, you can do so. 

Speak to an expert 

To learn more about changing your hearing aid, you should book an appointment to speak with an expert at The Hearing Clinic at Woodlake. Call us today at (612) 246-4868 to find out more and to start your journey to your next new hearing aid.