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What to Do if You Lose Your Hearing Aids

In Care and Maintenance, hearing aids, Tips and Tricks by Ed Kocher, ACA, BC-HIS

Ed Kocher, ACA, BC-HIS

Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve lost til it’s gone?

Joni Mitchell was onto something – that’s just the way it goes with misplaced items. For those of us who use hearing aids, they may seem impossible to lose. After all, we know the significant benefits that hearing aids bring to our daily lives. From the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed, our hearing aids are the devices that keep us connected to the world around us. We rely on our hearing aids to improve speech and locate sounds within our environment. How could we possibly lose these little devices?

For most of us, an active lifestyle means that we may have to remove our hearing aids from time to time throughout our day. In fact, it’s important to remove those aids before swimming or exercising – to avoid the accumulation of moisture. Now in summertime, we may find ourselves removing our hearing aids more often.

Here are a few tips on what to do if you lose your hearing aids and how to properly store them to avoid loss or damage.

Stay Calm & Retrace Your Steps

It’s important to stay calm if you’ve noticed your hearing aids are missing. When we lose something as valuable as our hearing aids, our emotions may take hold and we may begin to panic. Staying calm is an important first step to retracing your steps. Take a few deep breaths and focus on where you are right now. Once your mind has stopped running, then you can retrace your steps.

For those of us with hearing loss, we tend to be very aware of our senses. Hearing aids, as we know, are an integral part of the way we connect to the world around us. If, all of a sudden, sounds are duller and muddy, we would notice the difference immediately.

In other words, you probably haven’t gone far without your hearing aids. So, take a minute to recall: when was the last time you heard clearly? Where were you sitting or standing? What room were you in? If you took them out at the gym or the swimming pool, try to recall where you placed them. Are they in your car or a locker?

Think through the course of the day. Was it raining when you left the house? Did you store your aids in a safe case to re-insert when you got to your car? Perhaps your aids are in a bag or glove compartment in your car. Most of us lose or forget things when something out of the ordinary happens during our daily routine. Think back on any events that were out of the ordinary – like a surprise visitor or running into a friend at the gym

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Enlist the help of a friend, colleague, or family member on your search. Without your hearing aids, you may have a difficult time communicating, especially if you want to call up the different establishments you just visited. You may also want to ask a family member or friend to help you on the physical search for your hearing aids. Without hearing aids, you may find your spatial awareness to be off-kilter; having someone to help you is a safe option.

Describe your hearing aids in detail to the person helping you. Ask if there are lost and founds at the places you just visited. Stay positive – your hearing aids are custom made to fit your ears, so they won’t be of use to many people!

Reach out to us at Advanced Tech Hearing. If you are still attempting to locate your hearing aids, we can review your files to see if your hearing aids are covered by warranty from the manufacturer. Most hearing aids are covered for one-time loss or damage in the first year by the manufacturer.

If you have insurance on your hearing aids, contact your insurance provider to report the loss. This way you can take the steps to be reimbursed and get fitted for a new pair of aids.

How to Prevent Lost Hearing Aids

Establish a Routine
Before going to bed, make sure your hearing aids are stored in a safe, dry location. Avoid storing your hearing aids in a common-use space in your home, as they might be moved or damaged if dropped. Store them in a safe case if you use hearing aids with traditional batteries. If you use rechargeable hearing aids, make sure that your recharging station is resting on a stable surface, out of reach or children and pets.

In the morning, when preparing for the day, make sure to wait until you’ve completed your washroom routine before inserting your hearing aids. Avoid wearing them in the shower or while blow drying your hair or washing your face. If you go to the gym, make sure you have a travel storage case for your aids. Lock them in your locker before going to work out.

Hearing Aid Fit
Hearing aids must fit snugly in order to provide proper benefits. Hearing aids that are too loose may whistle or buzz – not to mention fall out of your ears and experience damage!

If you’ve noticed that your hearing aids are loose, contact us at Advanced Tech Hearing for a re-fitting.

Problems with your hearing aids? Our friendly team is here to help. Contact us at Advanced Tech Hearing today for assistance.