Recycle here!

An innovative idea being put into practice in our Galashiels shop has an environmental theme. In the UK only about three to five per cent of all household batteries are recycled. Most old batteries end up in landfill, where they can leak harmful chemicals into the soil.

House of Hearing are offering a free clean and check of hearing aids to anyone who brings in their hearing aid batteries for recycling. This invitation is open to any hearing aid user including NHS patients and those with aids purchased elsewhere.

Hearing aids are designed to be precision instruments, and they need a certain amount of basic attention in order for them to perform at their best.

A little care given to your hearing instrument will allow you to get the best possible service out of your device, make it work efficiently and ensure that you prolong the natural life of the aid.

The whole job has been made so much easier by the introduction of this new maintenance offer and we welcome anyone coming in with their hearing aid to take advantage of a free clean and check.

Our hearing aid audiologists will be happy to advise you about the importance of looking after your hearing aid and will be available to talk through any questions on general hearing aid maintenance.

Breakthrough towards hearing loss drug

Researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have discovered a drug that repairs hearing after damage caused by loud noise.

Until now, exposure to loud noise has led to permanent hearing loss. However, the researchers have shown that if treated with a compound called ‘ADAC’ after noise damage, hearing recovered substantially. The scientists found that a five day treatment of daily injections starting six hours after noise exposure were most effective. Single treatments were less effective but also resulted in some hearing recovery. The drug is thought to work by increasing the sensory hair cell’s ability to break down the damaging waste products, which build up during noise exposure.

This study presents the most effective pharmacological strategy to date for reducing noise-induced hearing loss after exposure to damaging noise. If clinical trials prove successful, this research could mean that, in future, people who are exposed to loud noise and risk damage could be administered a drug to stop the hearing loss becoming permanent.

Hearing Aid Top Tip!

Don’t leave your hearing aids on a windowsill in a bathroom or kitchen – condensation will readily form on the instrument and may cause it to become faulty.

Moisture can be a real problem for most hearing devices as the tiny microphones and receivers (loudspeakers) are susceptible to moisture ingression and when damp, will not function correctly, if at all. In addition, battery contacts can corrode, causing intermittent or complete malfunction.

Always keep your hearing instruments in their case when not in use and regularly use a proprietary silica gel drying agent. We always have these available at House of Hearing.