If you’re thinking about what else you’ll need to accompany your brand new hearing aid, here are some recommendations. We deal with the requirements of folks that wear hearing aids every day and can would suggest the following accessories or “add ons,” no matter which brand or style of hearing aid you wear.
First of all, stock up on batteries. These aren’t exactly an accessory, but take any opportunity you can to buy them in bulk or at a discount since you will need them. If your hearing aid uses disposable batteries, they last an average of 5 to 14 days, depending on how many hours a day you wear the aids.
A dehumidifier is optional, but a very good idea. The electronics in hearing aids are very susceptible to damage from moisture. Placing your hearing aid in the dehumidifier nightly when you are not wearing it will help keep it in good working condition. Cleaning kits are also a sensible investment, as are ear wax filters to keep ear wax away from the unit, because the cleaner you keep your aids, the longer they’ll provide you with trouble-free service.
There are various Bluetooth extensions for specific hearing aids that will extend their capabilities. Many digital hearing aids support the Bluetooth wireless connection standard, which means that they can be configured to stream sound directly from many mobile phones, audio players such as iPods, and televisions. Having a Bluetooth connection to these devices means that you don’t have to sit near them or turn the sound up to enjoy them.
For those of you with analog hearing aids that don’t support Bluetooth, you can accomplish almost the same thing with an FM system that places a remote microphone and transmitter near the TV or stereo and uses a receiver closer to your hearing aid to pick up and amplify the sound. Such FM systems don’t cost very much, and may be useful if you share spaces with other people, because you don’t have to turn up the volume on stereos or TVs such that everyday conversations become difficult to hear.
Please ask us if you have questions about the hearing aid accessories available for your model of aid. We want you to have the right accessories to care for and fully enjoy your hearing aid.