Hearing Aid Care Kit User Instructions 1
2. Battery Tester We recommend that you test the batteries in your hearing aids every morning to make sure that there is plenty of power left for the day. The red light indicates that the battery is still good. 3. Battery Disposal Box 2 5 Fold open the box and use it for storing used batteries until they 1 6 can be safely disposed of. 4. Cleaning Cloth 4 7 3 Use the soft cloth daily to gently clean the hearing aid (not the earmould) after daily use. To clean the earmould, please refer to the user instructions you received with the hearing aid. 5. Cleaning Brush It is important to keep your hearing aids clean and wellfunctioning. The Care Kit is a collection of items which will help you to take good care of the hearing aids to ensure optimum performance. The following is a list of the Care Kit items and instructions for their use. 1. Air Puffer Use the air puffer to blow moisture out of the earmould after cleaning or after daily use. Use the cleaning brush to gently clean around all openings in the hearing aid after daily use. 6. Drying Kit for Hearing Aids The Drying Kit removes moisture from the hearing aid. Please refer to page 9 for Drying Kit instructions. 7. Listening Set for Parents If you are the parent of a child with hearing loss, it is important for you to understand your child s reactions to his or her hearing aids especially if your child indicates that something is wrong. 2 3
While older children may be able to explain a problem in words, younger children may react to malfunctioning hearing aids by refusing to wear them, crying, or by reacting to sounds in an unusual way such as seeming confused or startled. The Listening Set allows you to listen to your child s hearing aids to make sure that they are functioning properly. The Listening Set comes with two different tubes. Filters are placed in the tubes which reduce the volume so you can listen to the amplified sound from the hearing aid without damaging your own hearing. The red tube has two filters (see fig. 1, page 5) which reduce the volume by an average of 30 db so you can safely listen to power hearing aids. The clear tube has one filter which reduces the volume by an average of 15 db so you can hear the sound from moderate power hearing aids. Procedure Fig. 1. Listening Set with the red tube connected. The arrows indicate the filters. 1. Start by making sure that you are in a quiet listening environment. 2. If the instruments your child uses are power aids such as 18, 19, 32, or 38 models: Make sure that the red tube with two filters is connected to the Listening Set (fig. 1, page 5). Then connect the hearing aid to the tube as shown in fig. 2, page 6. The plastic tube fits over the end of the hearing aid ear hook. The fit can be very tight, especially the first time. Place the Listening Set ends into your ears and turn the hearing aid on. If this tube reduces the volume too much (if you cannot hear your own voice through the hearing aid), change to the clear tube with one filter as described below. If the instruments your child uses are of moderate power such as m, 8 or 9 models: Remove the red tube from the Listening Set by snapping off the plastic connector. Snap the plastic connector of the clear tube with one filter onto the 4 5
Fig. 2. Connect the hearing aid to the plastic tube as shown. Listening Set (fig. 3, page 7 and fig. 4, page 8). You may need to press hard to snap the connector into place. Then connect the hearing aid to the tube as shown in fig. 2, page 6. The plastic tube fits over the end of the hearing aid ear hook. The fit can be very tight, especially the first time. Place the Listening Set ends into your ears and turn the hearing aid on. If this tube reduces the volume too much (if you cannot hear your own voice through the hearing aid), cut off the bottom 3 centimeters (1¼ inches) of the tube containing the filter as show in fig. 5, page 8. Connect the hearing aid to the tube and you can listen to the hearing aid without a volume-reducing filter. 3. Switch the hearing aid on and off, adjust the volume control (if any) and switch between M, MT and T positions. Listen for any noise that might indicate that the switches are not Fig. 3. Exchange the tube as shown. Snap off the red tube and snap on the clear tube. working properly. When the hearing aid is in the T position, you cannot hear your own voice through the hearing aid, but you may hear a humming sound which is normal. 4. Listen to your own voice while saying eeee and uuuu. Listen for interruptions, crackling noises etc. Note that even if the hearing aid is functioning according to specifications, your own voice will not sound completely normal to you after being processed through a hearing instrument. We recommend that you perform this listening test once a week, as well as when your child indicates that something is wrong with the hearing aid, or when the hearing aid has been dropped on the floor, has been wet, or may otherwise have been damaged. 6 7
Drying Kit Instructions: Use overnight to remove moisture from your hearing aid. Behind-the-Ear Instruments: 1. Disconnect the earmould from the hearing aid. 2. Open battery drawer and remove battery. 3. With the battery drawer open, place hearing aid and earmould into the container with the Hearing Aid Saver pod. Fig. 4. Listening Set with the clear tube connected. Make sure that the filter is located at the end of the tube furthest away from the Listening Set. 4. Close the lid tightly and wait overnight for best results. In-the-Ear Instruments: 1. Open battery drawer and remove battery. 2. With the battery drawer open, place hearing aid into the container with the Hearing Aid Saver pod. 3. Close the lid tightly and wait overnight for best results. IMPORTANT: The Hearing Aid Saver uses silica gel to absorb moisture. Periodically you must reactivate this material. The desiccant beads are orange when dry and turn green as they absorb moisture. When all the desiccant beads are green, it is time to reactivate. Warning: Do not put the pod or its contents in your mouth. Keep out of reach of children. Fig. 5. If necessary, cut the filter off the clear tube as shown. Reactivating the Hearing Aid Saver Pod in a Microwave Oven: 1. Remove pod from container. Place pod screen-side up in microwave and heat for 30 seconds on high. 8 9
2. Let cool to the touch. Repeat cycle until beads are orange. 3. Warning: Do not exceed 2 minutes total. Let the Hearing Aid Saver pod cool before handling. Reactivating the Hearing Aid Saver Pod in a Conventional Oven: 1. Remove desiccant pod from container and bake, screen-side up, for 1 hour at 200 F (93 C), or until beads are orange. 2. Let the Hearing Aid Saver desiccant pod cool before handling. Hearing Aid Care Tips: You know how important your hearing aids are, so make sure you take good care of them! If dropped, hearing aids will break! Batteries are poisonous! Tell an adult as soon as your hearing aid sounds different. Keep your hearing aids away from pets! Hair dryers or hairspray are bad for hearing aids. Water and hearing aids don t mix. Use a clean, dry cloth to clean your hearing aids never water! Careful! Extreme heat can hurt your hearing aids! Leave surgery on your hearing aids to the Pros! Keep your hearing aids in a safe place when not in use. Sweat isn t good for hearing aids! Visit www.widexconnect.ca for more details. Fig. 6. Hearing Aid Saver Dessicant Pod 10 11
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