Rechargeable Hearing Aids
ADAM FERRIER
2018 saw a lot of changes in the industry, and it appears that the way forward for the hearing aid manufacturers as well as users is Rechargeable!
So, with many devices now on the market that offer the user rechargeable options, do we know how well they work? The biggest comments I have had about rechargeable have been, in the main, positive. However, we have had a few comments about the consistency of battery life. With some clients reporting that they do not get a full days charge out of the instruments.
Consistency of battery consumption in hearing aids isn’t exactly a new issue, even with the traditional zinc-air batteries it can vary from client to client on how much battery life becomes an issue. But this has become far more complex when it is a rechargeable product due to the charger unit and therefore the hearing aid system needs to be evaluated.
While there are no “official” statistics it does seem to be that one of the most popular options is the ZPower rechargeable battery system, which many of the maufacturers offer as an option, we came across an article from back in May 2018.
Barry Freeman, PhD, who is vice president of business development for ZPower, and has been leader and educator in the global audiology community for over 35 years wrote an article for The Hearing Review with an insight to the world of rechargeable. He made some interesting observations about the increase in demand for rechargeable instruments and potential issues that have arisen.
ZPower have kindly come up with a factsheet to help provide users with some advice on how to get the best out of their rechargeable batteries. So if you want to read more on the why rechargeables should be considered an option, or perhaps have rechargeable instruments that may be causing some concerns. Why not click on the link below and read the article, or download the factsheet.