These pages are no longer being updated. They are here for archival purposes only.  Kay Powell has retired and thanks

everyone for helping The Listen-Up Web help others.

Hearing Aids & Earmolds

 


Tips

Have you ever noticed that hearing aid batteries decide to die whenever you don't have any handy? Try this! When you take the little paper tab off of a new hearing aid battery, put it on the calendar. This will help you figure out how long a battery will last (if you haven't figured that out already). Now you can tell with a quick glance at the calendar when it's time to change batteries, before they stop working (or at least make sure that you have some spares with you).

If your child's hearing aid is equipped with a T-switch, you need to make sure it is off when the T-Coil is not in use. The Telecoil can pick up signals from a number of things making the child unable to hear speech sounds. Two of the biggest culprits are car engines and computers.

If your little one likes to chew on the earmolds, earhook, tubing, or hearing aid, try painting them with some THUM (a liquid made to stop nail biting and thumb sucking). It has a nasty taste which discourages cord biting.

Some folks have problems with the tubing coming out of their child's earmolds. I've had a couple of  folks tell me that their audiologist has suggested to them that they use clear nail polish to glue the tubing in until they could bring the earmold into their office for repairs. If you try this, please be sure not to get any of the nail polish inside the tube because this would block off any sound coming through it. Also make sure that the tubing goes all the way through and its end is flush with the opening of the mold. Those who have tried this report good results.

If your child has PE tubes in conjunction with hearing aids and they suddenly give a pain reaction when the hearing aids are inserted, here is something you might want to know about. Normally, tubes do not interfere with hearing aids. However, when the tubes come out of the tympanic membrane and lay in the auditory canal, placing the earmold into the ear may be pushing the tube back up against the tympanic membrane causing pain, and the possibility of damage to the membrane. Fixing the problem is easy, but your doctor first has to figure out what's wrong. We went through 8 doctors (and 2 months) before they figured out the problem. I've heard from a number of parents whose child also had this happen. 


Hearing Aid Info

dmnd-rd.gif (997 bytes)With a Hearing Aid, a Hearing-Impaired Child Can Hear as Well as You - False!
diamond.gif (952 bytes)Troubled by Feedback? Visit our Hearing Aid Feedback page.
dmnd-rd.gif (997 bytes)You can insure the hearing aids against loss or theft with a rider on your home insurance policy. When insuring this way, be sure to carefully examine exactly what is covered. Visit our page on Homeowner's Coverage!
diamond.gif (952 bytes)Hearing Aids & Dolls - Ideas, sources, and a cute story about what one mother did when her daughter was fit for her first pair of hearing aids.
dmnd-rd.gif (997 bytes)Digital? Programmable? Multichannel? Analog?
diamond.gif (952 bytes)Hearing Aid Specs
dmnd-rd.gif (997 bytes)Hearing Aids & Moisture - Preventing moisture from becoming a barrier to better hearing.
If Your Child Won't Keep Their Hearing Aids In... - some suggestions.
dmnd-rd.gif (997 bytes)Info about Huggie Aids
diamond.gif (952 bytes)5 Tips for Assessing the Need for New Hearing Aids by Paula Rosenthal, J.D.
dmnd-rd.gif (997 bytes)Sources Of Hearing Aid & Cochlear Implant Funding - Also great places to donate those unused  hearing aids!
diamond.gif (952 bytes)AVR's ImpaCt Hearing Aids - You might also be interested in reading One Man's Success with ImpaCt Hearing Aids.

 These links are to pages not on The Listen Up Web:

Hearing Aid Manufacturers


Hearing Aid Insurance

There are a number of ways to insure your hearing aids against loss or damage. All new hearing aids are usually covered for loss or damage under the manufacturers warranty for one or two years. Check your warranty to see for how long, and what is covered. When this warranty runs out, any time you send your hearing aid to the manufacturers for repairs, you can purchase additional warranty coverage. With my son's hearing aids, this is who we've always gone with.

You can insure the hearing aids against loss or theft with a rider on your home insurance policy. When insuring this way, be sure to carefully examine exactly what is covered. Visit our page on Homeowner's Coverage!

There are a number of companies that specialize in insuring hearing aids.


Earmolds

One mother writes to tell us something that her audiologist told her; A realistic way to estimate about how often a child's earmolds should be re-made is to do it about as often as their shoe size changes. 


Earmold Manufacturers

 


Lost your way?  Try the Listen-Up Web Map or use our Search Engine.

The "Listen Up!" and "Talk It Up!" programs are copyright protected. All rights including the use of the "Listen Up!" and "Talk It Up!" logos are reserved.