At the Time of Difficulty:

1. If you have difficulty in hearing; or clarity has deteriorated or you feel that the hearing aid is dead…

a) Check if the battery is over. Change the battery. Check the battery size and the positive side of the battery before inserting it in the battery compartment.
b) Check the wax guard and clean it.
c) Change wax guard if needed.

2. If the hearing aid is weak you may have:

a) A run-down battery
b) Wrong tone setting
c) Covered microphone
d) An aid that must be repaired

3. If the aid makes a low soft buzz or hum, you may have:

a) A bad battery
b) A defective aid needing to go to the shop

4. If the hearing aid whistles or has feedback you may have

a) A loose ear mould
b) Wax in the ear
c) Wax in the ear mould
d) An aid that needs repair

Don’t open or tamper with the mechanical part of the hearing aid yourself. You will invalidate your guarantee if you do so. Take it to an authorized repair person for help. Have him rent you another aid while yours is being repaired.

USER FRIENDLY ACCESSORIES :

Ear impressions for customized fitting:
At ‘Loud and Clear’ we use one of the world’s best impression material from West Germany i.e. non allergent material and does not lose its shape or get disfigured for life. Hence we suggest that it should be stored by the patient for a lifetime; because they may be needed later on.

BTE requires ear mould while In-the-canal (ITC) and Completely-in-canal (CIC) require shells on top of with the face plate is fitted and the entire Hearing Aid instrument remains within shell.

Inserting the ear mould into the ear:

• Turn off the hearing aid, or turn the volume all the way down while you attempt to wear it. Then you can turn on the machine as well as the volume control.
• Be gentle
• When removing the ear mould, again turn off the hearing aid, or turn the volume all the way down. Then gently pull it out
• In Analogue BTE keep the machine off the time of putting on the mould. Once worn, you can put it on

Cleaning and Maintaining for ear mould for BTE:

• Although it differs from person to person, for most people once or twice a week cleaning of the ear mould is sufficient.
• Carefully ease the tube connected to the ear mould from the hearing aid hook
• Put the ear mould and tube in a bowl of mild soapy water, letting it soak for at least 10 minutes to loosen any dirt or earwax.
• Rinse the ear mould and tube in lukewarm running water
• Dry it with a soft cloth
• Let the ear mould dry overnight on absorbent cloth or paper with the sound outlet end of the ear mould pointing down.
• Attach the tube and ear mould to the hearing aid.

Batteries:

It is very important to use the correct size and type cell for your instrument.
To insert or replace the battery, open the compartment by placing your fingernail under the edge of the swing out door and gently pull forward.
To Remove: Existing batteries are removed by pushing the cell out the top of the fully open door. DO NOT pull it out of the door.
Inserting Batteries: Place the new battery in the compartment with the plus (+) sign facing up.
Close the battery compartment by swinging the door until it snaps shut. Never force the door shut as it could result in serious damage

Your Digital ITC and CIC is ‘on’ any time a functioning battery is properly placed in the compartment and the battery door is closed.
To turn the instrument “off’, simply open the battery compartment door so the battery is no longer in contact with the internal components. This is recommended any time your instrument is not in use to preserve battery life.

On, Off and Volume Control: Generally in most instruments anticlockwise movement increases the volume whereas clockwise movement decreases the volume in ITC. Generally, in BTE the downward movement brings about increase in the volume.

Feedback: When the instrument is turned ‘on’ as the volume control is adjusted, or when you use the telephone, you may hear whistling noise known as feedback.
This is due to amplified sounds releasing from the ear and reflecting off your hand into the instrument’s microphone. It is more likely to occur during insertion, removal and volume adjustment. It should stop when you move your hand.

HEARING AID DAILY USE MANUAL

1. The hearing aid should be turned off when not in use. Remove the battery if the hearing aid is not used for a couple of days. Place the battery in a cool, dry place and wipe the hearing aid clean.
2. Even though you will definitely find your hearing aid so comfortable that it will be easy to forget you are wearing one – Don’t forget to remove it before taking a shower; before washing your face or before swimming.
3. Don’t leave your hearing aid in a pocket of clothing to be washed. Always retain a box with you – one on the bedside table and one with you in your pocket or purse.
4. Temperature much above normal could easily damage your instrument. Hence, DO NOT leave your hearing aid in a car, on the window ledge on a sunny day.
5. Humidity can damage your hearing aid, so never store it in the fridge.
6. Try to avoid situations where your hearing aid could fall for any distance to a hard surface. Change batteries and clean your hearing aid on a table/ bed/ sofa to minimize the risk of dropping your aid.
7. Never use alcohol, solvents or cleaning fluid on your hearing aid and remember, it needs absolutely no oil of any kind. Clean the outside of your hearing aid with a dry soft cloth. While you are using hearing aid, do not put oil/ ear drops in your ears and if you have to, then dry your ear canal thoroughly before wearing Hearing Aid.
8. Remove your hearing aid before using hair spray. The ingredients in hair spray can make hearing aid volume controls stick and may clog the microphone opening.

Helping someone who has hearing loss

Do you suspect that someone you love may have hearing loss?

These can be some of the early signs of hearing loss:

• you continually need to speak louder for them to hear
• you get the sense your loved one is missing out on parts of conversation
• you ask them to turn down the volume on the TV
• you see loved ones struggling to be engaged in conversation when background noise is present