Hearing Aid Styles

Hearing aids typically cost between $1,500 and $5,000 each, with an average price of around $7,500 for a quality pair that uses the latest technology. Some companies may sell refurbished hearing aids at a lower price.

There are two primary considerations to make when you’re thinking about buying a hearing aid: finding a quality hearing care provider and deciding what kind of lifestyle you want to lead. It is not uncommon for individuals to become more outgoing once they have been fit with hearing aids, and certain systems allow for greater levels of activity than others. You should have an idea of how you’d like to use your technology when you visit a hearing care provider.

As with any product, a hearing aid is guaranteed to work only as long as the manufacturer’s warranty lasts. Most hearing aid manufacturers offer warranties that cover defective components for one to three years. Few standard warranties cover normal wear and tear or lost/damaged hearing aids, although many companies offer extended warranties that guarantee repairs or replacements if something were to happen to the unit. Kept and cared for in optimal conditions, hearing aids should last most users four to six years, while seven or more years of reliable use is far less common.

Hearing aids should be cared for on a regular basis by keeping storage conditions optimal and cleaning them regularly. Aside from regular clean and checks by your hearing care provider, your hearing aids should be cleaned using a specific set of tools a few times each week. A dehumidifying storage unit is recommended for safe keeping when they’re not in use, and will help prevent moisture damage.

The ability to hear with both ears, also known as binaural hearing, is essential to humans’ ability to understand speech, maintain balance, and localize noises. Hearing helps with spatial awareness and understanding where your body is in relation to objects around you. Knowing where sounds are coming from helps us keep our balance and identify where sounds are coming from. Our auditory system was designed to process information from all directions, and hearing with only one ear makes that process less than half as effective as hearing with both ears.

Sleeping with hearing aids in place is usually a matter of comfort. While it may help some individuals hear their morning alarms a little better, there’s also a possibility that the units may fall out during sleep. The other question is whether sleeping while your devices are activated is a good use of battery life.

While many devices are built with the conditions of the ear canal in mind, units are typically not labeled as anything more than “moisture resistant.” This means that the units are not waterproof and probably won’t be protected against submersion (swimming, showering, or dropping them into water), but they will be protected from light moisture exposure.

Switch off your hearing aid immediately, remove the battery from the device, and dry the battery and hearing aid meticulously with a cloth. If you own a dehumidifier, place your devices in the dehumidifier and turn it on for about 24 hours, or three to four drying cycles. If you don’t own a dehumidifier, shake your hearing aid to clear it of water, place it on a newspaper or paper towel, and store it on a warm object with the battery compartment open for several hours. A space heater, fireplace, or warm stovetop can act as a dryer as long as the heat source is not too hot. Feeling warm to the touch — but not so warm that your hand cannot remain on the heat source — is the proper medium.