 |
| What You Should Know About
Wearing and Caring for Hearing Aids |
|
| Battery Check |
- When using new batteries, remove battery stickers to trigger
the power.
- Air the batteries for a few seconds before putting into
the hearing aids
- Paste stickers onto calendar to help monitor battery
lifespan.
- If the tester indicates that the batteries are flat,
clean the battery contact points first, and then try again
before discarding the battery.
- f the tester is not working, the internal batteries inside
the battery tester need to be changed.
- Position the batteries correctly into the hearing aid
battery compartments
|
| |
| Gross check |
- Check that the Right earmould is correctly connected
to Right hearing aid.
- Repeat the same for the Left Side
- Check the labels on the hearing aids (e.g. sharp edges?
Labels coming off?)
(See the picture on the left)
|
 |
| Listening check |
- Use the stetotube to listen
to hearing aids.
(Note: a stetoclip is needed for less powerful aids)
- Listen for clear Ling’s
7 sounds (mm/ee/oo/or/ah/sh/s) preferably at your
child’s user volume.
- The quality must be the
same everyday.
- For hygiene purposes, clean
the stetotube regularly and before sharing with another
family member.
|
 |
|
| Fitting: |
- For young children and
1st time users, use a retainer kid’s clip to
prevent e.g. the child from pulling and throwing the
aids or accidental loss during outings.
- Use Vaseline if the earmoulds
are new to prevent ear sores. Line the canal portion
but do not block the ‘tubing holes’. Vaseline
can be bought at any pharmacies.
- Twist the earmoulds backwards
into your child’s ear canals, tuck in gently,
and then hook the hearing aids behind the ear. Do
not push the earmould in forcefully.
- Switch on the hearing aids
and make sure there is no feedback (whistle).
- Check that the volume controls
are in the correct position for the child. When unsure,
always check the labels on the hearing aids. If your
child is very young, it is good idea to tape down
the volume control dial.
- Your child will need new
earmoulds regularly because they outgrow them e.g.
every 1-3 months for those under 2 years old, every
3-6 months for Preschoolers, every 6-12 months for
Primary Schoolers.
|
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
|
|
| Removal |
- Switch
off the hearing aids
- Remove the earmoulds by
twisting them forwards and then pull them out of the
ears.
- Pull out by holding the
earmoulds. Do not pull by the tubings, as this will
loosen the tubings. The hearing aids may then drop
off accidentally if the tubings come off the earmoulds
totally.
|
 |
| |
 |
|
| Cleaning |
- Daily – Clean the earmoulds with a damp cloth –
with diluted Dettol. The hearing aids do not need to be
disconnected, but ensure that water does not get into hearing
aids.
- Weekly – remove the disconnected earmoulds and
wash them in warm mild soapy water, rinse thoroughly, wipe
and pump dry and store in the dry box overnight. Reconnected
the earmoulds to the hearing aids the next morning.
|
| Storage |
- Remove the batteries.
- Store the earmoulds, hearing aids (with battery compartments
open), and batteries in the dry box overnight.
- An Electrical Dry Box (dehumidifying box) is more efficient
in absorbing moisture in our humid local climate. This helps
to reduce the breakdown rate of the hearing aids.
- If using Silica Gel, use a porous cloth to separate container-
to ensure that silica gel does not get stuck in the hearing
aids or ear moulds. Fresh gel is blue, and it is time to
change the gel when it turns pink and/or white. Do not reheat
the silica gel for reuse.
- Silica gel container should be used only for brief storage
periods e.g. swimming time or short overnight travels. It
is still more ideal to leave hearing aids in Electrical
Dry Box when not in use.
- Both the Dry Box and Silica gel can be purchased from
camera shops.
|
|
| Next Morning |
| Repeat procedures above |
