Widex PA-440 User Manual

User’s instructions

PA-440

RIC

Receiver-in-canal

The hearing aid, ear-set and accessories shown in these
instructions may not look the same as the ones you
have. We furthermore reserve the right to make any
changes considered necessary.

Hearing aids, accessories and batteries
should not be disposed of with normal
household waste. Please consult your na­tional Widex distributor for advice on how
to dispose of these items.

2 3

Contents

Thank you... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Ear-set solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The hearing aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Right/left identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Function signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Inserting the battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Low battery indication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Turning the hearing aid on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Changing the microphone grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Possible start-up settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Automatic volume adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Fine tuning volume. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Remote control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Listening programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Switching between the listening programs. . . . . . . . . 22

Using a telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Right/left identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Placing the hearing aid and closed ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Removing the hearing aid and closed ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . 27

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

The hearing aid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The ear-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Changing the ear-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

The ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Earwire and ear-tip size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The anchor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Right/left identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Placing the hearing aid and open ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Removing the hearing aid and open ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The hearing aid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

The ear-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Changing the ear-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

The ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Earwire and ear-tip size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

The anchor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Right/left identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Placing the hearing aid and custom ear-tip . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Removing the hearing aid and custom ear-tip . . . . . . . . . 55

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

The hearing aid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

The ear-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

If the earwire needs to be replaced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

NanoCare wax guard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Changing the NanoCare wax guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

In case of malfunction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Caring for your hearing aid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Good advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Your hearing aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

4 5

General

Thank you...

...for choosing a Widex hearing aid.

Your hearing aid is a sophisticated instrument that can
be adjusted to your requirements in consultation with
your hearing care professional.

All illustrations in this booklet
show a right-ear hearing aid.
Unless otherwise stated, the
same principles apply to the left
ear.

We hope you will be pleased with your new Widex
hearing aid.

6 7

Ear-set solutions

Several ear-set solutions are available for your hearing
aid. The ear-set consists of an earwire and an ear-tip.
The receiver is placed at the end of the earwire. Below,
your hearing care professional can tick the solution
chosen for you.

❑ Closed ear-tip ❑ Open ear-tip ❑ Custom ear-tip

Important

Unless otherwise indicated, the information provid­ed in this booklet applies to all three ear-set types. In
addition to the general instructions, please be sure
to read the sections that apply to your specific ear­set solution.

General

The hearing aid

The illustration below shows the hearing aid without
the ear-set.

1. Microphone openings

2. Exchangeable microphone grid

3. On/off function, which is integrated into the

battery drawer

4. Nail grip

5. Earwire entry

1.

3.

4.

5.

2.

Right/left identification

If you wear hearing aids on both ears, it is a good idea
to ask your hearing care professional to put coloured
marks on the hearing aids (red mark = right and blue
mark = left).

The arrow shows the position of
the identification mark.

Function signals

Your hearing aid may be set to produce a signal to indi­cate the use of certain functions. The signal can be a
spoken message or tones adjusted by the hearing care
professional in consultation with you. The signal can
also be deactivated.

8 9

General

The battery

We recommend Zinc Air batteries. Use a size 10 bat­tery for your hearing aid.

To obtain replacement batteries, please consult your
hearing care professional. It is important to take note of
the expiry date and the recommendations regarding
disposal of used batteries on the battery pack. The bat­tery life will depend on a number of factors, such as the
setting of your hearing aid, how many hours you use it
daily and the listening environments in which you use
it.

Inserting the battery

Before inserting a new battery in
the hearing aid, remember to re­move the adhesive tab. Once the
tab has been removed, the battery

will start functioning after a few
seconds. Do not use batteries on which there is a sticky
residue from the tab or other unwanted substance.

Use the nail grip to gently swing

the battery drawer open. Do not

press the drawer beyond the open

position.

10 11

General

Place the battery in the drawer as illustrated, so that
the plus (+) sign on the battery is facing in the direction
indicated by the small plus (+) sign on the round bat­tery holder (see the long arrow in drawing 1). You can
use the provided battery magnet to steer the battery
into place.

If the battery drawer does not close easily, the battery
is incorrectly inserted.

Low battery indication

In the standard setting, the hearing aid will produce a
spoken message when the battery is nearly exhausted
(see page 9). If the setting with tone indication has
been chosen, four beep-tones will be produced. Once
the battery is totally exhausted, the hearing aid will be
completely silent. Exactly how long the hearing aid will
function after the low battery indication varies from
one case to another. We recommend that you always
have a spare battery with you.

Never leave an exhausted battery in the hearing aid.
Exhausted batteries may leak, damaging the hearing
aid.

When changing battery, it is a good idea to hold the
hearing aid over a table.

Important

Always place the battery in the actual battery draw­er as illustrated and not in the open space inside the
hearing aid.

12 13

General

Turning the hearing aid on and off

The battery drawer of your hearing aid also functions
as the on/off switch.

Close the battery drawer to turn on
the hearing aid. If you have just
turned off the hearing aid, wait at
least three seconds before turning
it on again.

Open the battery drawer to turn off
the hearing aid.

In the standard setting a spoken message will indicate
that the hearing aid has been switched on (see page

9).

Changing the microphone grid

The microphone grid is available in different variants.
For further information about selection and how to
change the grid, please contact your hearing care pro­fessional.

Please remember to switch the hearing aid off when it
is not in use. Remove the battery if the hearing aid will
not be used for several days.

14 15

General

Possible start-up settings

The hearing aid can be set to start up in two different
ways:

• In the standard start-up setting, the hearing aid min­imises whistling while it is being placed on the ear.

• The alternative is a setting where the hearing aid
whistles slightly while you place it on the ear.

Together with your hearing care professional you can
choose the start-up setting that suits your needs best.

Automatic volume adjustment

The hearing aid volume is adjusted automatically in ac­cordance with your sound environment.

Important

If the volume in your hearing aid is generally too
loud or too weak, or the reproduced sounds are dis­torted, or you would like any further information,
consult your hearing care professional.

16 17

Fine tuning volume

Ordinarily, you cannot fine tune the volume in your
hearing aid.

However, if you have a remote control for your hearing
aid, the option of fine tuning the volume becomes
available.

If your hearing aid has a remote control, please also re­fer to the user’s instructions for this.

General

Remote control

- an alternative way of operating the hearing aid.

A remote control is an accessory for
the hearing aid. It gives you a
number of additional options, such
as adjusting the volume or chang­ing the listening program.

For help to determine whether you
could benefit from a remote con­trol, please consult your hearing
care professional.

Listening programs

Ordinarily, your hearing aid has one listening program
(Master).

However, if you have a remote control for your hearing
aid, you can have several listening programs intended
for specific listening situations. Depending on how
your hearing care professional has programmed your
hearing aid, you can have up to six programs.

At the back of this booklet your hearing care profes­sional can list the listening programs that are available
in your hearing aid. If your needs change over time, the
combination of listening programs can be changed.

When selecting a listening program, please remember
that there are situations where it is particularly impor­tant to be able to hear the surrounding sounds (e.g.
traffic, warning signals).

18 19

General

You can choose from the following programs:

Master: Standard program

Acclimatisation*: Has the same features as the Master

program, but provides slightly less amplification.

Music*: For listening to music.

TV*: For listening to the TV.

Comfort*: Attenuates background noise.

Audibility Extender*: Makes high-frequency sounds

audible.

Zen*: Makes Zen tones. The tones are adjusted accord­ing to your hearing loss.

* This program can be made available if you have a re-

mote control for your hearing aid. If your hearing aid
has a remote control, please also refer to the user’s
instructions for this.

20 21

The Zen program may be used with amplification so
both the surrounding sounds and the Zen tones are
heard together. Or, it may be used alone (without am­plification) in quiet when you are not required to hear
surrounding sounds.

Up to two listening programs with one Zen style each
can be programmed for Zen. Furthermore, a special
Zen program can be made available. This is called Zen+
and can contain up to three Zen styles.

Important

Use of the different Zen programs may interfere
with hearing surrounding sounds including speech.
The programs should not be used when hearing
such sounds is important. Switch the hearing aid to
a non-Zen program in those situations.

General

Switching between the listening programs

If you have access to several programs via a remote
control, a spoken message will sound in the standard
setting each time you switch to another program (see
page 9).

If you have chosen the tone indication setting, the dif­ferent tones tell you which program you have chosen:

• Program 1: One brief beep

• Program 2: Two brief beeps

• Program 3: Three brief beeps

• Program 4: One long and one brief beep

• Program 5: One long and two brief beeps

• Zen+: Tone

Using a telephone

When using a telephone, we rec­ommend that you hold the tele­phone against your head at an an­gle above your ear, and not directly
against the ear. If the sound is not
optimal, try to move the telephone
loudspeaker to a slightly different
position.

22 23

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

The ear-set consists of the following parts:

1. Earwire

2. Anchor

3. Closed ear-tip

3a. Sound bore
3b. Vent

4. Receiver

5. Connector

6. NanoCare wax guard

5.

3a.

3b.

4.

6.

3.

Right/left identification

The earwire is available in different
lengths for the right and left ear,
respectively. The individual size is
printed on the ear-set (see arrow).
Red print indicates that it is for the
right ear and blue print that it is for
the left ear.

1.

2.

24 25

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

Placing the hearing aid and closed ear-tip

Place the hearing aid behind
the ear, so that the earwire
rests comfortably on the ear,
close to your head.

Insert the ear-tip in the ear
canal while holding the low­er part of the earwire.

The anchor should only be used if necessary to secure
the ear-set/hearing aid further. Remember to check at
regular intervals that the hearing aid and the ear-set
are positioned correctly.

Removing the hearing aid and closed ear-tip

Remove the hearing aid from its
position behind the ear.

Carefully pull the ear-tip out of
the ear canal, while holding the
lower part of the earwire.

If it is difficult, you can try to move the ear-tip carefully
from side to side while pulling it out. It may also help to
pull the outer ear backwards and upwards with the op­posite hand.

26 27

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

Cleaning

The following cleaning accessories are available for the
hearing aid and ear-set.

1. Cloth

2. Long wax removing tool

3. Short wax removing tool

4. Brush

3.2. 4.1.

Contact your hearing care professional if you need ad­ditional supplies of cleaning accessories.

The hearing aid

Clean the hearing aid with
the provided cloth after use.
Never use water or cleaning
solutions to clean the hear­ing aid.

When the hearing aid is not in use,
the battery drawer should be left
open, so as to ventilate the hearing
aid and allow it to dry.

The ear-set

Make sure that your ear-set is clean and free of earwax,
moisture and the like. Never use alcohol or other clean­ing solutions to clean the ear-set.

The earwire

Clean the earwire with the cloth
after use. Never use water or
cleaning solutions to clean the
earwire.

28 29

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

The ear-tip

First change the NanoCare wax
guard (see pages 60-63) and
then use the holder to push the
receiver out of the ear-tip.

Clean the vent with the long
wax removing tool (no. 2), as il­lustrated.

Clean the sound bore with the
short wax removing tool (no. 3),
as illustrated.

If necessary, the ear-tip can –
when disconnected from the
rest of the ear-set – be rinsed
thoroughly in lukewarm water.
Allow it to dry overnight. Never
use cleaning solutions to clean
the ear-tip.

Important: The receiver must
never come into contact with
water.

If dirt has gathered on the re­ceiver, use the brush to remove
it.

30 31

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

Changing the ear-set

The ear-set should be changed as required. The life of
an ear-set is individual and depends on a number of
factors, such as how much the hearing aid is used and
the type of earwax. Consult your hearing care profes­sional for advice on how often you should change your
ear-set.

For further supplies of ear-sets or if the ear-tip size no
longer fits your ear, contact your hearing care profes­sional.

The ear-tip

Remove the ear-tip from the earwire by pushing the re­ceiver out of the ear-tip as described on page 30.

Place the new ear-tip on the ear-set. It is very important
to ensure that the ear-tip is firmly secured. The ear-tip
should be attached in such a way that the right/left
identification mark on the receiver is still visible. See ar­row.

32 33

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

Earwire and ear-tip size

The ear-set must fit your ear exactly. It is important to
choose the correct earwire length and ear-tip size in or­der to ensure a good and comfortable fit.

Furthermore, to secure the position of the ear-tip in
your ear canal, it may be necessary to use an anchor.

At the back of this booklet your hearing care profes­sional can write down the sizes selected for you.

The anchor

The anchor is supplied sepa­rately from the rest of the ear­set and can be used in different
ways. First it is shown how the
anchor can be used without pri­or trimming:

Pull the pointed end of the an­chor through the upper hole on
the receiver located at the end
of the earwire.

Continue pulling until the an­chor is stopped by the grip at
the end. The angled grip should
be pointing towards the hear­ing aid.

Your ear-set is now ready for use and
is placed so that it rests comfortably
in your ear.

34 35

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

The anchor can also be trimmed to fit your ear:

Pull the pointed end of the an­chor through the upper hole on
the receiver located at the end
of the earwire.

Continue pulling until the an­chor is stopped by the grip at
the end. The angled grip should
be pointing towards the hear­ing aid.

Now guide the pointed end of
the anchor through the lower
hole to form a loop.

When the loop is the correct
size, cut any excess off, leaving
only the loop.

The anchor loop has the correct size when it supports
the position of the ear-tip in the ear canal, and the ear­set sits securely in and on the ear.

Take great care to cut off all the
excess so that the end of the an­chor loop is flush with the small
hole and there are no sharp
edges.

Use the tip of your finger to
check for sharp edges. If part of the anchor sticks out
through the hole, creating an uneven surface, this may
cause irritation of the ear.

36 37

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

The ear-set consists of the following parts:

1. Earwire

2. Anchor

3. Open ear-tip

4. Receiver

5. Connector

6. NanoCare wax guard

5.

3.

4.

6.

3.

Right/left identification

The earwire is available in different
lengths for the right and left ear,
respectively. The individual size is
printed on the ear-set (see arrow).
Red print indicates that it is for the
right ear and blue print that it is for
the left ear.

1.

2.

38 39

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

Placing the hearing aid and open ear-tip

Place the hearing aid behind
the ear, so that the earwire
rests comfortably on the ear,
close to your head.

Insert the ear-tip in the ear
canal while holding the low­er part of the earwire.

40 41

Make sure that the anchor is positioned correctly, so
that the position of the ear-set is secured.

Check at regular intervals that the hearing aid and the
ear-set are positioned correctly.

Important

The anchor should always be used with the hearing
aid with an open ear-tip. If the hearing aid is not se­cured by the anchor, it can fall off your ear and be
lost.

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

Removing the hearing aid and open ear-tip

Remove the hearing aid from its
position behind the ear.

Carefully pull the ear-tip out of
the ear canal, while holding the
lower part of the earwire.

Cleaning

The following cleaning accessories are available for the
hearing aid and ear-set.

1. Cloth

2. Brush

2.1.

Contact your hearing care professional if you need ad­ditional supplies of cleaning accessories.

42 43

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

The hearing aid

Clean the hearing aid with
the provided cloth after use.
Never use water or cleaning
solutions to clean the hear­ing aid.

When the hearing aid is not in use,
the battery drawer should be left
open, so as to ventilate the hearing
aid and allow it to dry.

The ear-set

Make sure that your ear-set is clean and free of earwax,
moisture or the like, otherwise the ear-tip may come
off. Never use alcohol or other cleaning solutions to
clean the ear-set.

The earwire

Clean the earwire with the cloth
after use. Never use water or
cleaning solutions to clean the
earwire.

The ear-tip

If necessary, the ear-tip can be

rinsed.

Disconnect the ear-tip from the

earwire and rinse the ear-tip

thoroughly in lukewarm water.

Allow it to dry overnight. Never

use cleaning solutions to clean

the ear-tip.

Important: The receiver must

never come into contact with

water.

If dirt has gathered on the re-

ceiver, use the small brush to re-

move it.

44 45

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

Changing the ear-set

The ear-set should be changed as required. The life of
the ear-set is individual and depends on a number of
factors, such as how much the hearing aid is used and
the type of earwax. Consult your hearing care profes­sional for advice on how often you should change your
ear-set.

For further supplies of ear-sets or if the open ear-tip no
longer fits your ear, contact your hearing care profes­sional.

The ear-tip

Pull the ear-tip off the earwire.

Place a new ear-tip on the earwire. It is very important
to ensure that the ear-tip is firmly secured.

46 47

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

Earwire and ear-tip size

The ear-set must fit your ear exactly. It is important to
choose the correct earwire length and ear-tip size in or­der to ensure a good and comfortable fit.

Furthermore, to secure the position of the ear-tip in
your ear canal, you should use an anchor. The anchor
can be trimmed to fit your ear.

Your hearing care professional will choose the correct
ear-set size and help you trim the anchor. Also see the
instructions on how to trim the anchor.

At the back of this booklet your hearing care profes­sional can write down the sizes selected for you.

The anchor

The anchor is supplied sepa­rately from the rest of the ear­set and can be used in different
ways. First it is shown how the
anchor can be used without pri­or trimming:

Pull the pointed end of the an-

chor through the upper hole on

the receiver located at the end

of the earwire.

Continue pulling until the an-

chor is stopped by the grip at

the end. The angled grip should

be pointing towards the hear-

ing aid.

Your ear-set is now ready for use and
is placed so that it rests comfortably
in your ear.

48 49

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

The anchor can also be trimmed to fit your ear:

Pull the pointed end of the an­chor through the upper hole on
the receiver located at the end
of the earwire.

Continue pulling until the an­chor is stopped by the grip at
the end. The angled grip should
be pointing towards the hear­ing aid.

Now guide the pointed end of
the anchor through the lower
hole to form a small loop.

When the loop is the correct
size, any excess should be cut
off, leaving only the loop.

The anchor loop has the correct size when it supports
the position of the ear-tip in the ear canal, and the ear­set sits securely in and on the ear.

Take great care to cut off all the

excess so that the end of the an-

chor loop is flush with the small

hole and there are no sharp

edges. Use the tip of your finger

to check for sharp edges. If part

of the anchor sticks out through

the hole, creating an uneven

surface, this may cause irritation

of your ear.

50 51

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip

The ear-set consists of the following parts:

1. Earwire

2. Receiver (placed inside the custom ear-tip)

3. Custom ear-tip with extraction cord

4. Connector

5. NanoCare wax guard

6. Vent (optional)

Important: Never attempt to disconnect the earwire

from the custom ear-tip.

4.

2.

3.

5.

6.

1.

Right/left identification

The earwire is available in different lengths for the right
and left ear, respectively. The individual size is printed
on the ear-set. Red print indicates that it is for the right
ear and blue print that it is for the left ear.

The custom ear-tip has ”Widex”
printed on it (see arrow). Red print
indicates that it is for the right ear
and blue print that it is for the left
ear.

52 53

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip

Placing the hearing aid and custom ear-tip

Insert the custom ear-tip in the
ear canal while holding the low­er part of the earwire. It may also
help to pull the outer ear back­wards and upwards with the op­posite hand.

Place the hearing aid behind the
ear, so that the hearing aid and
earwire rest comfortably on the
ear, close to your head.

Removing the hearing aid and custom
ear-tip

Remove the hearing aid from its
position behind the ear.

Take hold of the extraction cord
and carefully pull the custom
ear-tip out of the ear canal.

Important

Do not pull the earwire to remove your hearing aid.
Use the extraction cord.

54 55

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip

Cleaning

The following cleaning accessories are available for the
hearing aid and ear-set.

1. Cloth

2. Brush

3. Wax removing tool

3.1.

2.

Contact your hearing care professional if you need ad­ditional supplies of cleaning accessories.

The hearing aid

Clean the hearing aid with
the provided cloth after use.
Never use water or cleaning
solutions to clean the hear­ing aid.

When the hearing aid is not in use,
the battery drawer should be left
open, so as to ventilate the hearing
aid and allow it to dry.

The ear-set

Make sure that your ear-set is clean and free of earwax,
moisture or the like. Never use alcohol or other cleaning
solutions to clean the ear-set.

The earwire

Clean the earwire with the cloth

after use. Never use water or

cleaning solutions to clean the

earwire.

56 57

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip

The custom ear-tip
Important: The custom ear-tip, in which the receiver is

placed, must never come into contact with water.

If dirt has gathered on the cus­tom ear-tip, use the small brush
to remove it. You can also clean
the outside of the ear-tip with
the cloth.

If your ear-tip is provided with a
vent, use the wax removing tool
to clean the vent.

If the earwire needs to be replaced

Changing the earwire for the custom ear-tip requires
special tools and experience. We recommend that you
consult your hearing care professional when the ear­wire needs replacement. Do not attempt to do it your­self.

If the custom ear-tip no longer fits your ear, contact
your hearing care professional.

58 59

General

NanoCare wax guard

The NanoCare wax guard helps protect the hearing aid
against earwax. Always use NanoCare wax guards with
your hearing aid. Otherwise the warranty for your hear­ing aid will be void.

The NanoCare wax guard system consists of the follow­ing parts:

1. Holder

2. Removal hook

3. Wax guard

1.

3.

2.

NanoCare wax guards come
in a carrying case. The wax
guard is mounted on one end
of the holder.

Changing the NanoCare wax guard

Hearing aid with a closed ear-tip

The wax guard can be changed with or without the ear­tip attached to the earwire.

Hearing aid with an open ear-tip

Remove the ear-tip from the earwire.

Hearing aid with a custom ear-tip

Do NOT remove the ear-tip from the earwire.

1. Insert the removal hook into the used wax guard

placed in the sound outlet.

2. Pull the wax guard straight out.

Closed ear-tip and custom ear-tip

1.

Open ear-tip

2.

1.

60 61

2.

General

3. Now turn the holder around
so that the used wax guard is
away from the receiver and
the new one is in position to
be inserted.

3.

4. Insert the holder into the opening of the sound outlet
and gently press the wax guard onto the receiver.

5. Pull the holder straight out. The new wax guard will

automatically dismount from the holder and remain
in place.

Closed ear-tip and custom ear-tip

5.4.

Open ear-tip

4. 5.

62 63

After inserting the new wax
guard, discard the holder with
the used wax guard attached to
the removal hook. Never reuse a
wax guard.

The frequency with which the NanoCare wax guard
should be changed varies from one individual to an­other depending on, for example, the type and amount
of earwax produced.

If you have any questions regarding your NanoCare
wax guard, please contact your hearing care profes­sional.

Important

If the wax guard fits loosely, discard it and insert an­other. If the wax guard becomes dislodged while the
ear-tip is placed in the ear canal, please contact your
physician. Do not try to remove the wax guard from
your ear canal yourself.

In case of malfunction

General

Problem Potential cause Solution

The hearing
aid is dead

The hearing aid is
not turned on

The earwire is
broken

The battery is dead
or does not work

The sound outlet
of the ear-tip is
blocked

The NanoCare wax
guard is blocked

Make sure the battery
drawer is closed

Contact your hearing
care professional

Insert a new battery in
the hearing aid

Closed ear-tip: Clean
the blocked sound
bore (see page 30)
Open ear-tip: Replace
or clean the ear-tip
Custom ear-tip: Clean
the ear-tip (see page

58)

Change the wax guard

Problem Potential cause Solution

The hearing
aid volume is
not powerful
enough

The battery is
nearly exhausted

The sound outlet
of the ear-tip is
blocked

The NanoCare wax
guard is blocked

Your ear is blocked
by earwax

Your hearing may
have changed

Insert a new battery in
the hearing aid

Closed ear-tip: Clean
the blocked sound
bore (see page 30)
Open ear-tip: Replace
or clean the ear-tip
Custom ear-tip: Clean
the ear-tip (see page

58)

Change the wax guard

Contact your ENT
doctor/physician

Contact your hearing
care professional

64 65

Caring for your hearing aid

General

Problem Potential cause Solution

The hearing
aid whistles
continuously

Your ear is blocked
by earwax

The earwire is
yellow and stiff

The ear-tip is not
correctly placed in
your ear canal

The ear-tip fit is too
loose

The receiver is not
adequately
secured in the
ear-tip

The receiver is
inserted in the
wrong hole

Contact your ENT
doctor/physician

Contact your hearing
care professional

Take the ear-tip out
and reinsert it

Contact your hearing
care professional

Closed and open
ear-tip: Replace the

ear-tip. If the problem
persists, contact your
hearing care
professional
Custom ear-tip:
Contact your hearing
care professional

Closed ear-tip:
Remove the ear-tip
and insert the receiver
as illustrated on page

33.

With proper care, your hearing aid will give you con­sistent reliable service. Here are some things you can
do to prolong the life of your hearing aid:

• Switch your hearing aid off when it is not in use.
Should you not use it for several days, take out the
battery.

• Treat the hearing aid as the valuable object it is: with
care. When the hearing aid is not in use, keep it in its
case in a cool, dry location where it cannot be reached
by children or pets.

• When not in use, do not expose the hearing aid to ex­treme heat or high humidity.

• In environments with high humidity, a Widex drying
kit may be used daily to reduce the amount of mois­ture inside the hearing aid. See the instructions en­closed with the Widex drying kit.

66 67

General

• Do not wear your hearing aid in the shower or swim­ming or when using a hair dryer, perfume or other
sprays.

• Never try to open or repair the hearing aid yourself.

• Do not wear your hearing aid during x-ray, MR scans,
CT scans, short-wave diathermy, or similar radiation
treatments and never place your hearing aid in a mi­crowave oven. These are some of the types of radia­tion that can damage your hearing aid. Radiation
from, for example, room surveillance equipment,
burglar alarms and cellular telephones is weaker and
will not damage the hearing aid.

• Widex hearing aids are not certified for use in mines
or other areas with explosive gases.

• To maintain the proper shape of the ear-set, be care­ful not to twist or squeeze it out of shape when your
hearing aid is placed in the case.

Good advice

• The use of hearing aids increases the risk of accumu­lation of earwax. Contact your physician/ENT doctor
if you suspect that a plug of earwax has accumulated
in your ear. Earwax may not only reduce your own
hearing but also the effect of the hearing aid consid­erably. It is a good idea to ask your physician to clean
your ears a couple of times a year.

• Please be sure to keep the hearing aid and its parts
and accessories out of the reach of children, who
might place them in their mouths. Also keep batter­ies out of children’s reach and discard used batteries
carefully. Do not change batteries in front of children
and do not let them see where you keep your sup­ply.

• Batteries are very small and can easily be mistaken
for pills or the like. Never put a battery or hearing aid
in your mouth for any reason as you may risk swal­lowing it. In case of ingestion, contact your physician
immediately.

68 69

General

• The hearing aid will not restore normal hearing but
can help you make best possible use of your remain­ing hearing ability. However, you should be aware
that it takes time to get used to a new hearing aid
and new sounds.

• The hearing aid is made of modern non-allergenic
materials. Still, in rare cases skin irritation can occur. If
you notice skin irritation in or around your ear or ear
canal, contact your hearing care professional.

• Please be aware that the use of any type of hearing
aid may involve a slightly increased risk of infection
in the ear canal. An infection can arise as a result of
inadequate ventilation of the ear. Therefore, we rec­ommend that you remove the hearing aid and ear­set from your ear at night to allow the ear canal to be
ventilated. Make sure that you clean and inspect your
hearing aid and ear-set as required. If an infection oc­curs, you should seek medical attention and contact
your hearing care professional for advice on how to
disinfect the various hearing aid parts. Do not under
any circumstances use alcohol, chlorine or similar
substances.

Your hearing aid

(To be filled out by the hearing care professional)

Date: _______________________

Battery size: _________________

Ear-set:

❑ Closed ear-tip
❑ Open ear-tip
❑ Custom ear-tip

Ear-tip size: Left ________ Right ________

Earwire size: Left ________ Right ________

Listening programs Chosen program position

Master

Acclimatisation

Music

TV

Comfort

Audibility Extender

Zen

70 71

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