Hearing aids with rechargeable batteries – Pros and cons

here are a number of reasons why you may wish to purchase a hearing aid with a rechargeable battery option:
Hearing aids are small, therefore the batteries that power them are small. If you have limited vision or poor dexterity (such as arthritis in your fingers), you may find changing the small batteries a challenge.
With an overnight charge, rechargeable batteries will give you a full day of power. Just like charging your phone – put it in the charger before you go to bed and you’ll have a full-power charge when you wake up in the morning. Different rechargeable batteries will vary on how long you need to charge your hearing aid (read more on this below) and how long the charge will last. Some brands will give you up to 30 hours of power.
With a rechargeable hearing aid, you’ll have an easier device to use with less stress. Your rechargeable battery lasts a long time and, for some types, will last the life of your hearing aid.

Types of rechargeable batteries in today’s hearing aids

Lithium-ion batteries

This is the preferred option for rechargeable hearing aids and most hearing aid brands are moving to Lithium-ion technology (sometimes referred to as Li-on). They’re based on the type of batteries used in mobile phones and provide more staying power compared to other rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ion technology has a shorter charge time, longer charge in the battery before needing to recharge, and longer life-time of battery. With this type of rechargeable battery, you’ll get 4 years of battery life compared to 1 year with Silver Zinc rechargeable batteries. The only drawback for Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries is that they cannot be interchanged with a disposable battery as the Silver Zinc ones can. The hearing aid brands using the Lithium-ion option are Phonak, Signia, Starkey, ReSound, Oticon, Unitron and Hansaton

Silver Zin Batteries

This type of rechargeable battery has been made popular by the company Z Power and can be retro-fitted to existing hearing aid brands. These batteries look like the disposable batteries you may be using in your current hearing aids. This is an advantage because if you do happen to run out of power you can slip in a disposable battery to keep your hearing aid going until you can get to a charger. Most manufacturers are moving away from Z Power in their top-of-the-line hearing aid models, however, We have stayed with Z Power and are now using the updated Z Power system in their hearing aids.

The new Z Power system has a number of enhancements including an improved charger cycle and an updated battery door to optimize battery power and life. The door is also stronger to prevent breakage and there is greater protection against corrosion. The Z Power system comes with a dryer to ensure the battery is cleaned and dried while recharging. Silver Zinc rechargeable batteries are 100% recyclable so once the battery has run its life (usually a year) take it back to your Hearing Healthcare Provider and they will change your battery and get the old one sent off for recycling. These batteries are also non-toxic and non-flammable, but if a child or a pet swallows you’ll need to seek medical advice.