From phones to cameras to music players, how we power our electronics has progressed. For decades, those looking to manage hearing loss have wished for a similar progression, and the industry is finally realizing the promise of a powerful rechargeable hearing aid battery.
Disposable hearing aid batteries have traditionally been the power source of choice among manufacturers, with size 312 batteries being one of the more common battery types. These days, the most popular version of these batteries is known as a “zinc-air” battery.
The Downside to Disposable Hearing Aid Batteries
The presence of air impacts a zinc-air battery, as the name indicates. The user has to tear a small tab off the back of a 312 zinc-air battery in order to activate it.
As soon as it is fully oxygenated, it starts to lose power. That means power is start to drain even if the user isn’t ready.
Most users regard the length of life to be the most significant drawback of disposable batteries. With 312 batteries, the user could be changing the batteries in their hearing aids around 120 times per year because they drain in 3 to 12 days according to some reports.
That also means users may need to buy 120 batteries, spend the time twice every week to change them, and properly dispose of each. That’s most likely over $100 in batteries from a cost perspective alone.
Improvements in Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable hearing aid technology has progressed to the point where it’s now a practical solution and that’s good news for people who use hearing aids.
Studies have shown that most individuals overwhelmingly prefer to use rechargeable hearing aids. Over the years, these models were impractical because they didn’t hold a charge long enough. But modern rechargeable batteries will hold a charge all day without requiring a recharge.
Rechargeable batteries won’t save users significant amounts of money, but they will improve their quality of life.
In addition to providing 24 hours of use time, these contemporary models result in less aggravation for the user, since there’s no more changing and correctly disposing of batteries. Instead, they just need to take out the battery and put them in a convenient tabletop charging unit.
When a disposable battery gets near the end of its life it won’t run your hearing aid at full power. There’s also no real way to identify how close to being inoperable the battery actually is. So the batteries could die at the exact moment that a user needs them the most which could even put them in peril. Not only is this a safety concern, but users may miss important life moments because of a dead battery.
Types of Rechargeable Hearing Aid Batteries
Rechargeable batteries come in a number of different materials, each offering distinct advantages. Integrated lithium-ion batteries are one option being used by manufacturers because they can hold a charge for 24 hours. You may be surprised to know that this same type of technology is what charges and powers your smart-phone.
Another kind of modern rechargeable battery is a silver-zinc. Originally, these revolutionary batteries were developed for Nasa’s moon missions. You can even use this technology to modify and retrofit the existing hearing aids you’re comfortable with by converting the device to rechargeable power. Just like lithium-ion, silver-zinc can also provide enough power to last you all day.
Some models even let you recharge the battery while it’s still in the hearing aid. For these, users will slip the entire hearing aid on a charging station when they sleep or at another time when the device isn’t in use.
Whichever option you decide on, rechargeable batteries will be substantially better than disposable batteries. You just have to do some research to determine which option is ideal for your needs.
Take a look at our hearing aid section if you’re looking for more information about what battery would be the right choice for you or any other info about hearing aids.
