Summer tips for hearing aids

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TIP #1 - Protect Devices from Water

Living here in sunshining Florida, many of these tips are good nearly year-round, but it’s always good to review how to best care for your devices. Many of my patients inquire regarding water-proof hearing aids, especially devices that can be worn swimming. We have so many interactions with our families and loved ones around the pool, lake, or beach once the water is warm enough to swim. We want to be able to hear during those events, not miss what was said, and get to experience life with our loved ones.

Here is the short and the long of it. Are hearing aids waterproof? No. At least not yet… Hearing aids have improved exponentially in the last 10 years. One of those areas is indeed water-resistance, in that the majority of hearing aids do have an IP68 rating. What does an IP68 rating mean? IP68 under IEC standard 60529 means the casing is dust tight and protected for immersion in plain water [it’s important we’ll circle back to it] up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Which means your hearing aids are water-resistant and temporary exposure, shouldn’t effect your devices, but long term exposure may result in water intrusion and damage. Some hearing aid companies claim their IP68 rating means their devices are water-proof. However, we all know what “should be” and “what is” isn’t really the same thing.

So here is what I see in the clinic. Brief water exposure, like forgetting your devices are in your ears and get in the shower, typically won’t hurt your devices, but sometimes we do have to send them for repair. Exposure to water sources with chemicals, salt, or bacteria/other, such as pools, coastal beaches, and lakes; well that’s a different story. Many devices are NOT tested in these conditions and unfortunately we find exposure to non-plain water does result in hearing aid repair. Even exposure to plain water can result in a hearing aid repair. So, I recommend you continue to keep your devices away from water, as best you can. If you do have a problem, definitely call the office so we can help.

TIP #2 - Protect Devices from Sand

Wait, I said an IP68 rating meant dust tight… So why do I talk about sand and/or other debris? I talk about it because the nano coating which provides the IP68 rating keeps the dust out of your device, but it doesn’t prevent build-up on the microphones. I cannot count the number of times hearing aids have come in “dead”, “weak”, “sounding bad”, “not clear anymore” and found the microphones were occluded with debris. Once I complete a deep clean on devices, the hearing aid(s) sound great again. So what is happening? The debris is actually muffling the microphones and the sound your device can pick-up to help you hear. It’s like holding your hand over the mouth-piece of your phone and expecting the other person to understand you clearly; they can’t, because you are blocking the microphone. I recommend you use your hearing aid cleaning brush to brush out any debris in your microphones, at least once a week, and keep up with your deep cleaning appointments to ensure those microphones are clear.

TIP #3 - Protect Devices from Heat

Heat and hearing aids. Have you ever had your phone give you an “overheating” warning when you charge it and use it at the same time? Yeah, hearing aids can overheat as well. In addition to overheating, more than half of hearing aids purchased are now rechargeable. Typically, it’s with a lithium-ion battery which is susceptible to damage from overheating. So, as I say in the clinic, don’t put your hearing aids on the dashboard of your car in direct sunlight, the battery will expand/bloat/explode. Keep your devices in your ears [ideally] or put them away in a case in the shade.

TIP #4 - Devices Fly with You

I love the time savings of flying instead of driving or even taking a train cross-country, and most of the time all my bags make it safely to my location only slightly worse for wear. I’m sure many you have checked your devices in your luggage and it hasn’t been a problem. Unfortunately, lost luggage happens and if your hearing aids are in that luggage, now you are on vacation and you can’t hear. How frustrating! I recommend you don’t risk it. Either wear or put your hearing aids and charger in your carry-on luggage, NOT your checked luggage.

After sharing the above, the next question is always, “Well, can I wear my hearing aids through security?” Yes, you can wear your devices through security and it shouldn’t cause a problem. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents should be familiar with hearing aids and the metal detectors won’t have any impact on your devices. However, the body scanners are a bit more of a gray area. Security companies and hearing aid companies alike assure us the scanners won’t damage/interact with your hearing aids. And for the vast majority of the population, that is accurate. In clinic, I’ve had patients report problems with their hearing aids after wearing them through the body scanners more than a handful of times BUT I’ve also been working with hearing aids for more than a decade. So the question becomes, is it really happening enough to worry about? You’ll have to make that decision for yourself. If you don’t want to wear your hearing aids through the body scanner, just put them in your luggage [zippered pocket please!] to go through the x-ray on the belt, and then put them back in your ears, just like you put your shoes back on after you clear security.

I hope you never have to call me for hearing aid breakdowns due to the above. However, things happen and if they do call the office, we would be glad to assist you. Thank you! Have a blessed day.