Basic Care & Information
The life expectancy for most hearing aids is 5-7 years - but aids can last longer if taken care of. At Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat, we recommend cleaning everyday using the tools provided with the hearing aid. This just takes a couple of minutes. Brush the entire hearing aid making sure to include the microphone and receiver. Scoop any loose wax out of the receiver with the Wax Loop and push any debris out with the Vent Cleaner.

Take care to avoid contact with moisture or other like elements such as lotions or hairspray.

Animals love the sound hearing aids make. To them they are a toy. Hearing aids should be kept out of reach of animals and small children.

Battery life varies among different hearing aids. The average life is 5-7 days. We recommend you pick one day of the week to be the day you always change your battery. Leaving the battery door open at night slows down the battery drain and also helps to dry up any moisture inside the hearing aid.

CMP Program & Other Battery Programs
CMP (Comprehensive Maintenance Plan) - As of March 1, 2002, all hearing aids purchased from Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat will include a CMP. This includes:

• Battery supply for the life of the hearing aid
• Yearly hearing screening
• Hearing aid adjustments
• Quarterly clean and checks
• All in-house Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat hearing aid services

This plan is also available to those who have purchased a hearing aid prior to March 1, 2002, for a one-time flat rate of $150.00 per ear.

We will also extend this offer to anyone owning a hearing aid for a one-time flat rate of $200.00 per ear, regardless of where the aid was originally purchased.

Yearly Battery/Maintenance Plans - Other plans are available that include:

• Battery supply for 12 months (One 4-pack a month - $50.00 or One 8-pack a month - $75.00)
• Hearing aid adjustments
• Quarterly clean and checks
• All in-house Mid-Kansas Ear, Nose & Throat hearing aid services

Batteries can be picked up in 3 month quantities at each quarterly visit at either office or mailed to you.

Ear Cleaning
Sometimes hearing loss is due to a build up of wax in the ear canal which prevents sound from reaching the eardrum. To have wax in the ear canal is a good thing. It keeps the canal healthy and moisturized and prevents debris and bugs from getting down the canal that may damage the eardrum. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. In this case, the canal becomes blocked causing a full feeling, hearing loss and sometimes pain.

Use of Q-Tips to clean the canal is NOT recommended. The Q-Tip is able to clean around the walls of the canal, but anything in front of the swab gets packed down toward the drum. This packed debris/wax has caused more problems and is more painful to remove.

The ear can be irrigated to remove wax. THIS SHOULD NEVER BE DONE ON A SURGICAL EAR OR AN EAR WITH A HOLE IN THE EARDRUM. A solution of half rubbing alcohol, half white vinegar can be used with a bulb syringe to gently irrigate the ear canal. The alcohol helps to dry the ear. The vinegar maintains a healthy pH balance to prevent growth of outer ear bacteria.

The most reliable way to get the canal cleaned is to have it done by an Audiologist or ear, nose & throat specialist. Using an operating microscope to enlarge the view of the obstruction, special instruments can be used to gently remove or suction the wax from the canal. This is typically a painless procedure, takes only minutes, and is immediately effective at restoring a normal canal with good sound conduction to the eardrum.