How Often Do I Need to Adjust my Hearing Aids? - Biltmore Ent

Getting hearing aids can feel like the final step on the journey to better hearing, but it’s actually just the beginning. There are many reasons hearing aids may need adjustments, be it changes in your hearing, changes in your environment or just changes in personal preference. How often do I need to adjust my hearing aids?

Upon receiving your hearing aids for the first time, your doctor will make adjustments to suit your unique hearing ability and sound needs. Following your initial appointment, you’ll need hearing aid adjustments every 6 months or so. Adjustments maintain your hearing aids’ effectiveness, so it’s something you don’t want to fall behind on.

There can be many reasons for a hearing aid adjustment, including:

Declining hearing with age. Hearing naturally decreases with age, as wear and tear on the ears catches up with you. Over time, exposure to loud noises or certain health problems can increase your need for sound amplification. As your hearing declines, your hearing aids need to be adjusted to account for the change.
A change in your environment. While minor adjustments may be necessary for certain situations, such as a loud concert or quiet dinner conversation, if you find yourself switching between different environments constantly, changes to your hearing aid program may be necessary.
Feedback or whistling sounds. With hearing aids, everyday sounds like conversation or music should come in loud and clear. If you find that you are receiving feedback, echoes or a whistling or ringing sound, there may be a problem with your hearing aid. Any interference with the sound can be a sign of a fit issue, a connectivity problem or a faulty battery.
Personal preference. Hearing aids, especially advanced styles from your audiologist, come with many ways to adjust the incoming sound. You may find that the initial settings need more fine-tuning after using them outside of your audiologist’s office. Precision adjustments to your hearing aids can help you optimize your hearing.

In addition to biannual adjustments, hearing aids need careful care at home to maintain their effectiveness and longevity. With the proper care, hearing aids can last for about 5 years. To extend their lifetime, be sure to keep up with battery changes, cleaning, and proper storage techniques.

Is it time for a hearing aid adjustment? The Biltmore Audiology & Hearing Aid Center is here to help ensure that your hearing aids are optimized for your hearing needs. To schedule an appointment, call (602) 560-1085.