Troubleshooting Hearing Aids Flashcards
What are some complaints reported by patients attending repair and follow up appointments?
These include problems with the sound of the hearing aid, with inserting or operating the aid, and with the earmould or aid casing.
What are some common problems with sound of aid?
*It’s whistling
*There’s no sound when I turn it on
*It’s too quiet/I can’t hear with it any more
*It’s too loud
What are some possible causes of feedback/ whistling?
- Putting hand up to ear/wearing hat etc
- Wax
- Incorrectly inserted aid/earpiece
- Wrong type of earpiece
- Vent in earpiece
- Faulty aid
- Incorrect aid settings
what are some follow up questions for feedback/whistling?
- All the time, or just sometimes? – if sometimes then what are you doing when it’s whistling?
What are some causes for no sound when the aid is on?
- Faulty battery
- Earmould tubing/wax filter is blocked
- Condensation in the hearing aid hook and filters
- Faulty hearing aid
- Wax
- Deterioration in hearing
What are solutions for feedback/ whistling?
- Check for wax in ear canal – remove/refer for removal
- Check patient can insert aid/earpiece correctly – reinstruct if necessary
- Check the aid is working correctly – replace and re-programme
- Check the type of earpiece being used – replace with less open earpiece or a tighter fitting mould or remove vent if necessary
- Check aid settings – use REMs if possible.
- Apply feedback manager if this is appropriate (but without affecting frequency response of the aid)
What are solutions for no sound when the aid is on?
- Otoscopy – check ear for abnormalities (eg wax)
- Check the battery is working – replace if necessary
- Check the earmould tubing/wax filter isn’t blocked – clear out if necessary
- Check for condensation in the hearing aid hook and filters – could be blocking off sound channel.
- Use stay-dry tubing in the earmould and/or a drying box
- Check on/off switch is working – repair/replace aid if necessary
- Check aid is working – replace if necessary
- If everything is working as it should be then arrange another hearing assessment
What causes an aid which is too quiet?
- Wax
- Deterioration in hearing
- Gain too low
What are solutions for an aid which is too quiet?
- Check aid settings – increase gain if necessary
- Arrange a reassessment
What causes an aid which is too loud?
- Maximum output is too high
- Gain too high
- Client is developing recruitment
- Client has hyperacusis
- Hearing has improved
What is a solution for an aid which is too loud?
- Check aid settings:
➢Decrease gain if necessary
➢Decrease Maximum output if necessary - Arrange a reassessment according to local policy
What are some common problems with inserting/ operating the aid?
- I can’t get the aid in
- I can’t put the battery in
- I can’t remember how to use the controls
What are some possible causes and solutions for ‘I can’t put the battery in’?
Causes:
* Patient has forgotten where the battery compartment is
* Patient is putting the battery in incorrectly
* Battery compartment is faulty
Solutions:
* Check the patient knows where the battery compartment is
* Ask them to insert a fresh battery – check for problems and reinstruct as necessary
* Check the battery compartment is not faulty
What are some possible causes and solutions for ‘I can’t remember how to use the controls?’
Causes:
* Client has forgotten which control is which
* Client has forgotten how to use the controls
Solutions:
* Reinstruct as necessary
* Give written information leaflet
* Consider reducing the need for user-selected controls and remove if necessary
What are some problems caused by the earmould/ tubing?
- The tubing has come out of the mould
- The mould/aid casing is broken
- The aid/mould hurts when I put it in my ear
- Hearing aid/earmould keeps falling out
- My voice is echoey/boomy etc
What are some possible causes why the tubing has come out of the mould?
- The tubing has deteriorated and broken
- The aperture for the tubing is too wide
- The earmould has broken
What are some possible causes of a broken aid casing or ear mould?
- The aid has been dropped, chewed by a pet, put through the washing machine etc
What are some solutions for the tubing coming out of the mould?
- Retube mould – use tubing cement if necessary
- Check mould isn’t broken – take a new impression if necessary
- Check audiogram – consider an open fitting if appropriate
What are some possible solutions of a broken aid casing or ear mould?
- Identify problem with mould/casing – can it be temporarily repaired?
- Take a new impression or replace tubing/receiver
What are some possible causes of an aid/ear mould hurting when put in?
- Incorrect tubing length
- Poor impression = poor mould fit
- Meatal tip is too long
- Poor finish on mould or hearing aid casing
What are some solutions for an aid/ear mould hurting when put in?
- Check length of tubing – too short/too long?
- Retube if necessary
- Look for pressure points on concha/EAC – adjust mould/casing if necessary
- Check for rough edges on the mould/casing surface – file down if necessary
- Take new impression if necessary
what are some possible solutions for an hearing aid/ ear mould keep falling out?
- Check client’s ability to insert correctly – reinstruct if necessary
- Check tubing length – adjust or retube if necessary
- Check hook fits OK – consider alternative type if necessary
- Take impression for new mould/aid
- Try alternative hearing aid with better retention (eg ITE)
what are some possible causes of an hearing aid/ ear mould keep falling out?
- When? Bending forward = tubing may be too short. Talking = EAC moves when patient moves jaw allowing aid to fall out
(ITCs/CICs). - Patient isn’t inserting mould/aid correctly
- Mould or aid is a poor fit
- Patient’s ear is very small and aid hook is the wrong size
what is a cause of a patients voice being echoey/ boomy?
- Occlusion effect
what are some solutions for a patients voice being echoey/ boomy?
- Check type of mould
- Vent, increase length of meatal tip if appropriate
- Consider changing to open fit or open mould if possible
- Check aid settings – reduce gain if necessary
what is considered changing batteries ‘too frequently’?
It usually means replacing batteries more often than the typical 7-14 days, depending on hearing aid power usage.
What are potential causes of frequent battery changes?
- Hearing aid is faulty – draining too much power
- Hearing aid is very high powered
- Hearing aid is using lots of power-hungry features
(eg active feedback management, active noise
reduction, automatically activated directional
microphone settings) - Batteries are faulty – if only noticed since opened a
new pack
How can the issue of frequent battery changes be addressed?
- Check power usage of aid – replace if necessary
- Replace batteries
- Check settings of aid and deactivate unnecessary
features - Replace aid
- Counsel wearer re power usage of aid
what are some causes and solutions for a patient reporting ‘“I can’t remember which aid is for which ear”?
Causes:
* Client can’t remember how to insert hearing aids
* Client removed moulds for cleaning and can’t work out which hearing aid goes on which side
Solutions:
* Reinstruct client about aid insertion and how to tell aids apart
* Assign red (right) and blue (left) markers to hearing aids
* Instruct significant others
