This document provides guidance for caregivers on helping hearing aid users. It discusses the importance of hearing and the effects of untreated hearing loss, including frustration, isolation, and cognitive decline. It emphasizes that difficulty communicating with clients who have hearing loss can make a caregiver's job more difficult. The document then provides tips for caregivers, such as how to check if hearing aids are working properly, how to clean different types of hearing aids, and basics of hearing aid use and communication skills.

1. Helping people to
use their hearing
aids: a guide for
carers and
families
Simple steps to be incorporated into the
daily care of hearing aids users

2. Why is hearing important?
We live in a world of sound and hearing is our connection to that
world
Imagine a life without sound, or one where sounds were hard to
distinguish. How would it affect you if you could no longer do the
following things?
• Talk with friends and family
• Listen to music
• Watch TV
• Hear birdsong
• Order a meal at a restaurant

3. How does untreated hearing loss
affect people?
Untreated hearing difficulties commonly lead to:
• Frustration and fatigue
• Distorted communication
• Depression and feelings of paranoia
• Unemployment, under-employment or early retirement
• Loneliness and social isolation
• Loss of self esteem
• Cognitive decline
• Early onset of dementia

4. What this means for care staff?
Difficulty communicating with your clients can lead to:
• Difficulty determining the clients wants or needs
• Difficulty communicating requests to the client
• More time and effort spent with the client administering basic care
Your job can also be made more difficult if:
• The client is frustrated, angry, depressed, fatigued, paranoid,
suffering from cognitive decline, or any of the other symptoms of
untreated hearing loss

5. Most importantly
You work in this profession because you
care!
This is not an easy profession; you do it
because you want to make a positive
difference in the lives of people you care for
Assisting people to treat their hearing loss
should be a part of that care

6. How can hearing aids help?
With successful hearing aid use, some of the conditions associated
with hearing loss can be reversed, but if it’s left too long, the benefits
are less and harder to obtain.
Effective hearing aid use can equal effective communication. This
can make a HUGE difference to everyone involved

7. Hearing aid use
Nearly 4 million people in Australia have at least mild hearing loss and
less than 1 in 4 do anything about it.
Of those who own hearing aids, less than half these people actually
use them
Reasons behind the non-use of hearing aids are often easy to correct
We need to assist people to use their hearing
aids

8. Common reasons why people don’t
use their hearing aids
“I don’t want to use my hearing aids, they
are useless!”
Find out what the perceived problem is
• Are they physically uncomfortable?
• Is the volume too low or too high?
• Is the hearing aid whistling?
• Are certain sounds too harsh?
• Is the hearing aid unsuitable for this person?
• Are they too difficult to use?
• Are they working?

9. The client will need to contact their hearing aid supplier if:
• The hearing aids are physically uncomfortable
• The sound quality is poor. Eg. they can’t hear certain
sounds such as speech
• Certain sounds are too harsh
You may be able to help if:
• The volume is too low
• The hearing aids are whistling
• The hearing aids are too difficult to use
• The hearing aids are not working
Once you have established the
problem

10. Overview of different types of
hearing aids
There are four main types of hearing aids
BTE with earmold
Open fit with hollow
tube
Open fit with speaker in
the ear
In the ear (ITE)

11. Cleaning hearing aids
The most common cause of apparent hearing aid failure is
wax. To avoid wax build up, hearing aids should be cleaned
every night
• If wax gets into the hearing aid components, sound cannot
travel through and volume will be affected
• Wax can also cause whistling and sound distortion
Wax stop totally blocked with wax Small amount of wax causing loss
of volume

12. Changing wax stops
A wax stop is a filter that protects the
speaker from wax
Wax stop
Replacement
wax stops
Cleaning brush

13. Cleaning hearing aids with hollow
tubes
• Remove the tube
• Use a cleaning wire to push any wax through the tube
• Tubes can be rinsed in warm water but must be thoroughly
dried before use.

14. Cleaning hearing aids with earmolds
• Wipe the earmolds clean daily with a soft, dry cloth,
carefully removing any traces of wax and dirt
• After disconnecting the earmold from the hearing aid, the
earmold can be washed in lukewarm water with a mild
detergent.
• Reconnect the earmold, after drying it thoroughly.

15. Batteries
The first thing to check if a hearing aid is not working is the
battery
• Different hearing aids use different size batteries
• Battery doors open in different ways depending on the
model
• Using a piece of draw liner can make it easier to change
the battery

16. Yes
ITEOpen fit with hollow tubeBTE with earmold
Hearing aid not working or volume reduced?
Use this quick checklist to see if you can solve the problem
Does inserting a new battery solve the problem?
What type of hearing aid is it?
Yes
Open fit with speaker in the ear
Even a small amount of wax can affect the
volume. Does cleaning the earmold and/or tubing
of wax solve the problem?
Remove the tubing and switch the hearing aid on
and turn the volume to maximum. Does any
sound come out?
Yes
Yes No
No
No
There may be a problem
with the hearing aid.
Contact the supplier
This indicates a wax
blockage or kinked tube.
Check for wax again and
if possible, replace the
tube. Contact the supplier
Even a small amount of wax can affect the
volume. Does changing the wax stop solve the
problem? Yes
No
ITE
If a vent is present, does
cleaning it solve the
problem?
Open fit with speaker in the ear
Remove the wax stop and check underneath
for wax. Use a magnifier and good light.
If wax is found, does cleaning the speaker
solve the problem?.
There may be a wax
blockage, or a problem with
the wiring or hearing aid.
Replace tube if possible or
contact the supplier
There may be a problem
with the hearing aid.
Contact the supplier
No
Yes
No
Clean
Blocked

17. Hearing aids and water
• Do not store hearing aids in the bathroom
- humidity can cause internal corrosion
• Store hearing aids in a drying jar every night
• Remove hearing aids before showering
- a sign on the bathroom door can help to remind everyone
• Check pockets for hearing aids before washing cloths

18. Basic listening and communication
skills
• Always face the person you are speaking to
- Blamey Saunders aids have automatic directional microphones
- People use a combination of hearing and seeing to
communicate
• Speak slowly and clearly
- Our ability to code sound slows with age

19. Practice time!