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Earmolds |
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Repairs |
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For behind the ear hearing aids, there must be a way to direct the amplified sound down the ear canal toward the eardrum and hold the hearing aid securely to the ear...the earmold. |
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The material of the earmold can vary from acrylic to silicone. |
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The softer the material, the better it stays sealed in the ear because of the flexibility...less chance for feedback-”squealling”. |
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For children, a soft material is safer in case there is a blow of somekind during play. |
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The two drawbacks of the soft material is the life of the earmold is reduced because the material shrinks slowly but surely and the porous nature of soft material means the earmold becomes discolored in the ear canal section due to earwax. |
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The acrylic earmold is durable, never shinks, but it does not seal as well as softer earmolds and it is not as comfortable to wear either. |
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Earmolds come in different shapes; a particular shape may be required for you hearing loss, or you may have a wide choice of models just for cosmetic reasons. |
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The key to earmolds is that they need to be changed every 1 to 3 years to fit properly. |
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Being a electo-mechanical device, your hearing aid will eventually need a repair. |
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“The volume control is noisy...” |
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“It comes and goes...off and on...” |
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“It is very weak...” |
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When you first have a problem, that is the time to go ahead and get your aid fixed. It is not going to get any better. |
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If your hearing aid is still under warranty, definitely do not wait! |
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“I know my aid went out of warranty a month ago, but it was “tearing up” two months ago” |
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(Actually, this is a true comment made occasionally by hearing aid users bringing their aids in for repairs!) |
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The hearing aid lab goes strictly by the dates issued to the hearing aid for repair coverage. |
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If your aid is over 5 years old, it will more than likely be sent to an independent repair lab, and there are a few good ones out there. |
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An aid 8 years or older may not be worth repairing. Usually your ear has changed shape and you hearing may have changed...but the biggest thing is that exposure to “the elements”, body acids & salts, being “jarred” up and down as you walk, takes it toil on the very small electronic components. |
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8 Years X 7 Days/Week X 16 Hrs/Day |
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= 46,720 Hours Used! |
