One of the more frequent questions we hear is, “My older hearing aid is damaged or just isn’t working the same way it used to – do you think I should purchase a new one, or have it repaired?” The candid answer needs to be, “That depends.”

1. San Antonio Hearing Centers| (210) 428-6900| http://sahearingcenters.com
Discover more great content here:
https://twitter.com/SAHearingCenter
http://www.youtube.com/user/sanantoniohearing
http://www.facebook.com/sanantoniohearingcenters
http://www.pinterest.com/sahearingcenter
Should You Fix a Damaged Hearing Aid or Should You Replace It?
One of the more frequent questions we hear is, “My older hearing aid is damaged or just isn’t working the same way it used to – do you think I should purchase a new one, or have it repaired?” The candid answer needs to be, “That depends.” This is an individual choice, and the “best answer” is as individual as the people who ask it.
First, it must be noted that hearing aids – no matter how well-built they are and what their initial cost was – occasionally fail, or start to function incorrectly. They operate, after all, in an atmosphere (your ear canals) that is inhospitable to them because it contains cerumen (ear wax) and moisture. Ear wax is produced naturally, and we need it because it protects the lining of our ear canals, but it can “gum up the inner workings” of hearing aids; likewise, residual water is natural after swimming or bathing, but it too can damage hearing aids. Additionally, there is obviously the possibility of breakage from an accident or dropping the hearing aids, and the inner tubing and other parts inevitably degrade with time, so after some years you can expect your aids needing repair or replacement.
Likely the major thing you should think about when making the “replace or repair” determination is how you feel about your current hearing aids – do you like them, and the sound quality they produce? If you like them and are accustomed to the sound that they produce or really like how they fit, repair could be the better option for you.
Another factor to consider, naturally, is cost – whereas a new set of hearing aids could cost thousands, your existing hearing aids might cost only a couple of hundred dollars to repair. The part we cannot answer in this article is the impact of insurance. A few insurance policies cover hearing aid

2. San Antonio Hearing Centers| (210) 428-6900| http://sahearingcenters.com
Discover more great content here:
https://twitter.com/SAHearingCenter
http://www.youtube.com/user/sanantoniohearing
http://www.facebook.com/sanantoniohearingcenters
http://www.pinterest.com/sahearingcenter
replacements, but not repairs or have varying policies on partial or full coverage.
If you decide to have your hearing aids repaired, another question that arises is, “Should I take them to the clinic I purchased them from, or send them to one of the many repair labs who advertise online?” There are several advantages taking them to a local audiologist or hearing instrument specialist versus working with a distant repair lab directly. First off all, they can establish if repairs are actually needed. Second, they might be able to get the repairs completed on site reducing the length of time you are without your hearing aid. If they do need to send the hearing aid back to the manufacturer or outside lab for extensive repairs, they will make the process seamless for you and you might even get a better rate because they work in bulk.
If you decide to replace your hearing aids, more choices are available to you. Take the time to learn about the technological innovations since the last time you bought and be open to newer models. More recent hearing aid designs may have functions that interest to you, and can be fine-tuned and programmed to suit your unique hearing needs. So the choice whether to “repair or replace” is still yours, but we hope this advice will assist you.