The hearing aids of today are nothing like the ones your parents or grandparents wore. Rather than having to replace batteries every few days or weeks, many modern devices have built-in rechargeable batteries. In fact, according to one source, “52% of people surveyed in 2022 had a rechargeable hearing aid.”
In order to know if a hearing aid with a rechargeable battery is right for you, you need to weigh the pros and cons. We review these below.
Pros of a Rechargeable Hearing Aid
The pros of a rechargeable hearing aid include:
- Long charge. Most rechargeable hearing aids can hold a charge for as long as 30 hours. If you frequently stream media to your hearing aids, however, the charge will last more like 18 hours.
- Extended lifespan. Rechargeable hearing aid batteries are designed to last as long as your devices. Therefore, you can use them for up to five to seven years. By this time, it will be time to upgrade your hearing aid anyway.
- Easy to handle. If you have dexterity issues, hearing aids that take disposable batteries are probably not a good option for you. With rechargeable hearing aids, you never have to handle batteries alone. Rather, you simply need to dock your hearing aids in their charger.
- Eco-friendly. Rechargeable hearing aids are more eco-friendly, as they result in much fewer batteries ending up in landfills. Hearing aids that take disposable batteries can use up as many as 100 batteries a year!
Cons of a Rechargeable Hearing Aid
The cons of a rechargeable hearing aid include:
- Need access to a charger/outlet. If you’re camping somewhere where you can’t charge your hearing aids, or if you go somewhere and forget your charger, you could be left without your sense of hearing.
- Fewer styles. Because rechargeable hearing aids are fairly new, there are not a lot of styles that accommodate these types of batteries yet.
- Higher price. Sometimes the price of your charger is not included in the price of your hearing aid, so you may have to pay for this separately.
For more information about rechargeable hearing aids or to schedule an appointment with a hearing aid expert, call Advanced Audiology & Hearing Aids today.
