Care Tips for Rechargeable Hearing Aids

In recent years, rechargeable hearing aids have become more popular, they are low maintenance and do not require you to purchase hearing aid batteries regularly. And while they’re cheaper, the rechargeable hearing aids are also easy to use: if you have just swapped, there are some differences in how you must care for them, that you need to be aware of.

There are two types of rechargeable hearing aids:

• Lithium-ion hearing aids do not have a battery door
• Silver-zinc hearing aids do you have a battery door

You will be able to find your hearing aids type below, and more information about how to care for them and extend the life of your hearing aid battery.

Lithium-ion batteries

As mentioned above, lithium-ion hearing aids, do not have a battery door. So, if you noticed that your hearing aids do not have a battery door, it would contain a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. These batteries take between three and four hours to charge fully, and this will then be able to keep your hearing aid going for 24 hours.

A lithium-ion battery will last the entire life of the hearing aid, somewhere between four and five years. Once that four or five years has finished, you should consider purchasing new hearing aids or you can send your current hearing aids to the manufacturer to have the internal battery replaced.

How to keep your lithium ion battery healthy:

• Do not store your hearing aid in an unplugged charge station, this can drain the batteries and shorten their life.
• If you will not be using your hearing aid for an extended period, but you aren’t able to put them in the charging base, turn the hearing aid off and store them in a safe place where they will not get damaged.

How to charge your lithium-ion hearing aids:

• Ensure that your hearing aids are free of moisture and free of any lint and debris before putting it into the charging station.
• Place the hearing aid in the charging base; the hearing aid will then automatically turn off.
• An indicator light will blink when the hearing aids are charging. The light will usually stop blinking and stay solid when the hearing aids are fully charged. This will be between three and four hours.
• Ensure that you only hold the hearing aid by the casing when you remove it from the charger, not by the wire that connects to the receiver.

Silver-zinc batteries

Silver-zinc batteries are also referred to as Z-power batteries. These are the same size and shape of batteries that you need in your old model hearing aid. A silver-zinc battery will take between three and four hours to charge fully and will power your hearing aid for around 24 hours. 

The battery itself should last a year, so you will need to return the product to the manufacturer and purchase a new one.

How to keep your silver-zinc batteries healthy

Always put your hearing aid in the charging station when it is not in use, even if the batteries have not been fully drained. Constant charging will not drain the battery or shorten the battery life.

Do not store your hearing aids in an unplugged charging station; this will drain the battery and shorten its life.

Never open the battery door when not using your hearing aid. If you’re used to wearing a non-rechargeable hearing aid, you know how to open the battery door when you’re not using them to save the battery life.

The opposite is true with rechargeable hearing aids. If you’re not going to use your hearing aids for more than three hours, and you cannot put them in the charging station, remove the batteries and store them in a place where they are not touching each other or other metallic objects.

How to charge silver-zinc hearing aid batteries:

• Ensure that the hearing aid is dry and free of any lint or debris before putting them into the charging station
• Gently place the hearing aid in the charging base, the hearing aid will automatically turn off
• An indicator light will blink when the hearing aid is charging. This light will stop flashing and stay solid when your hearing aids are fully charged; this will take between three and four hours.
• Ensure that when you pick up the hearing aid, you only use the casing, not by the wire that connects to the receiver.

If you need information about hearing aid care, you can talk to your audiologist.

To learn more about rechargeable hearing aids get in touch with Hearing Aid Consultants of North Mississippi today at (662) 234-1337.