Top Tips for Maintaining Your Hearing Aids during the Fall Season

As we enter the autumn season, it’s time to make some necessary preparations. If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to dig out your hats, scarves, and boots. Fall is known for its unpredictable weather, but it also brings a beautiful display of colorful leaves and scenery.

Additionally, it’s important to consider the condition of your hearing aid. If you rely on it for hearing, be aware that fall’s changing environment may affect how it works. Taking good care of your hearing aid during this season ensures you won’t miss out on any of the seasonal experiences. Here’s a guide to help you manage this important aspect of your fall preparations.

What Are Hearing Aids?

Hearing aids are the most commonly recommended treatment to patients who have hearing loss. Hearing loss can range from mild to profound, so it’s entirely possible for you to have a different experience compared to someone else. Symptoms can include difficulty understanding speech, asking other people to repeat themselves, needing to turn the volume up on music or ringing in your ears.

Digital hearing aids can be programmed by an audiologist to a patient’s specific requirements. It allows audiologists to increase the volume of some sounds and lower the volume of others. Hearing aids can also be connected to smartphones so the user can answer calls using the hearing aid and listen to music through Bluetooth.

Maintaining Your Hearing Aid

Maintaining your hearing aid in the fall is mainly about being conscious of the weather conditions. It’s easy for moisture to build up in the atmosphere in this season and hearing aids can be damaged if too much moisture gets in. It’s also typical for winds to be higher during this season which may have an effect on your hearing. With all of these variables, it’s important to take a closer look at how these elements can impact your hearing aids:

Rain and Fog

Rain and fog are both high moisture conditions. If you’re out admiring the seasonal changes or walking your dog, be sure to keep your hearing aid protected. If water enters your hearing aid, it can damage it irreparably. In the event that it is repairable, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with your audiologist for repairs and reprogramming. Alternatively, you’ll need to get a new hearing aid.

To avoid any damage to your hearing aid in this type of weather, make sure you have an umbrella with you at all times or try and find shelter where you can. If your hearing aid does get wet, take it out when you get home and place it in a sealed jar with some dry rice. In high moisture atmospheres it can also help to keep the compartment doors open on your hearing aid while you sleep at night. Letting your hearing aid air out in a dry case over a few hours will ensure the moisture doesn’t reach the microphone and muffle any sounds.

Wind

Wind won’t necessarily damage your hearing aid but it could lower the quality of the sound you receive. High winds can cause a whistling through the hearing aids microphone that is amplified in your hearing. It may be unpleasant and you may find it difficult to hear other things when standing in the wind.

At this time of year, many people wear hats to keep warm and protect themselves from cold winds. However, if you wear a hearing aid, wearing a hat can result in your hearing aid being pushed against your ear, resulting in feedback.

To avoid whistling from the wind and to keep yourself warm without receiving feedback from your hearing aid, try a loose hood instead. A dome shaped umbrella will also do the trick.

Ask Your Audiologist

It’s important to keep hearing aid maintenance at the top of your priority list during fall. Along with wind and rain, it’s also possible that your hearing aid picks up dirt, dust and debris from the outdoors. Your audiologist will be able to give you professional advice on how to maintain and clean your hearing aid in every season.

If you have any problems with your hearing aid during the fall, it could be as simple as your audiologist reprogramming it.

It’s essential to book regular hearing tests with your audiologist so you know you have the correct treatment for you. When you have the right hearing aid, fall is a season to be fully enjoyed. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, contact us at Gavin Audiology and Hearing Aids at (914) 610-3440 today.