A Day with my Hearing Aid

Why do some people wear hearing aids?  Well, just like wearing glasses help you see better, hearing aids help you hear better.

Now let’s start my story of a day with my hearing aid.

Putting in my hearing aid is part of my morning routine.  To put it on I fit the ear mold in my ear then turn it on by pushing the battery door closed.  When I hear the music I know the battery is working.

This is how I use my hearing aid and take care it when it’s in my ear.   I make sure not to cover my hearing aid when it’s in my ear because it squeals loudly and it really hurts my ear, ow!   I can’t get my hearing aid wet because it could ruin it.  It is very expensive.  It costs about $2,000! There is actually a tiny computer in the body of the hearing aid that goes behind my ear.

I also have to be careful not to drop my hearing aid because it could damage it.

At the end of the day when I’m ready for bed I take my hearing aid out for the night.  I don’t sleep with it!  To take it out I first open the battery door to turn it off.  Then I pull the ear mold out of my ear with the plastic piece that is attached.  My mom helps me clean it with alcohol on a Q-tip.  She wipes it all around with the alcohol to kill any germs and get it ready for the next time I use it.  It’s important to keep it clean so it doesn’t get germy.  Lastly, I put it in its “keep dry case” to protect it and keep it dry. Remember, it’s a mini computer!

Here are some extra things I need to think about in taking care of my hearing aid.  I often need to change my batteries.  A battery only lasts about seven days.  When I hear a BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP sound in my ear, I know the battery is almost dead.  This can happen at any time.  Sometimes it happens at school when we are having recess, sometimes when we are doing work.  I ask a teacher if I can change my battery in my hearing aid and they let me.  I know how to do it all by myself!

There are lots of different kinds of hearing aids depending on your age and how well you hear.  I have already had two different kinds of ear molds since I started wearing a hearing aid when I was 4 years old.  Now I go to the ear doctor every six months to have a hearing test and have my hearing aid checked to make sure it’s working the way it should.