What can You do to Prevent Hearing Aid Mishaps?

Have You ever Dropped Your Hearing Aid Outside?

Whether you’re a novice or a pro when it comes to wearing hearing aids, it’s likely that you have or, in the future, will drop one of your hearing aids outside.

If you reside in a cooler climate, you probably wear a hat or something to keep your ears warm. Whether it’s a hat or headband, you might accidentally knock off your behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid while removing the headgear. 

It’s imperative to wear your hearing aids while you are outside in order to enjoy your time and as a safety measure. Be sure that if you are doing anything which involves touching your ear, head or neck area, you promptly make sure that your hearing aids are still securely in your ears.   

You can always use a specially designed clip to attach to your clothing. You could also talk to a hearing instrument specialist about having a custom earmold created to comfortably and securely keep you hearing aids in place.  

What to do if You Drop Your Hearing Aid Outside

Stop everything that you are doing and ask that everyone you are with to remain still. Begin searching for the device(s) at the top of your head and continue down. Do not move your feet around. Check if the hearing aid got caught on your clothes. Think of where you were the last time you remember that both of your hearing aids were in your ears, and whether you brushed your ears up against anything. Hopefully a careful and thorough pat down. 

You can also use the Find My Hearing Aids feature through the TruLink app.

How to Prevent Dropping Your Hearing Aid Down the Drain or in the Toilet

This frequently happens to many people who normally remove or put on their hearing aids inside the bathroom. 

It might be a good idea to keep your hearing aids in your bedroom. You can then sit down to insert or remove the devices, and place them in their case. If you have to insert or remove your hearing aids by a hard surface, like a kitchen counter, put a soft towel down to cushion the area in case you drop them. If the bathroom is your only choice, plug your sink and keep your toilet lid closed. 

What to do if You Drop Your Hearing Aid Down the Drain or Toilet 

If this occurs in a public restroom, you may consider replacing it altogether. If it happens in your home and the toilet or sink are clean, remove it as soon as possible.    

Most hearing aids feature a protective nano coating, which can be disinfected with a hearing aid wipe. Do not use alcohol to clean your hearing aids, this can break down the hearing aid material. If the hearing aid is soiled from an unflushed toilet, it’s considered a biohazard and should be disposed of in that manner. 

If your hearing aid falls down the sink, do not turn on the spout. A plumber or someone who knows how to use a pipe wrench might be able to remove the trap from underneath the sink and recover it.

What Should You do if You wear Your Hearing Aid in the Shower or Pool?

Modern hearing aids are so comfortable that you may forget they are in your ears. If you make the habit of removing your hearing aids prior to taking a shower, you shouldn’t have this issue -- unless your normal schedule changes and you go on vacation.

Taking a break from your normal routine during vacation may lead to a higher chance of entering water while wearing your hearing aids. Rather than take your hearing aids out before your shower, make a habit of feeling around for your hearing aid devices with both hands prior to entering water. You could even hang a note near the shower or clip one to your swimsuit or towel. Having a storage case for them is also a helpful tool to have. 

What to do if You wear Your Hearing Aid in the Shower or Pool

1. Take them out of your ears and dry them off with a towel. 
2. Open the battery doors and take out the batteries.
3. Place the hearing aids in a case or hearing aid dryer (Do NOT put them in a warm oven or microwave. Do NOT dry them with a hair dryer.) while the battery door is open and leave them for at least an hour or overnight. If they still don’t work by the next morning with new batteries, contact your hearing instrument specialist. 

What Should You do if Your Hearing Aids are Swallowed by a Child or Pet?

This scenario occurs more often than you’d think. Children and pets are extremely curious, and tend to explore things using their mouths. Some adults have accidentally consumed hearing aids, when left near certain foods like bite-sized candies or snacks. 

What to do if a Person or Pet Swallows your Hearing Aid 

If a person accidentally eats your hearing aid, thoroughly inspect the mouth for the device, any broken pieces or hearing aid batteries. 

A person should seek immediate medical care if they swallow a hearing aid or a hearing aid battery. If you see your pet eat your hearing aid, carefully remove it from their mouth. Be sure to thoroughly check if anything from the device broke off and if the batteries are still in the hearing aid. A battery ingestion can be fatal. Contact your pet’s veterinarian as soon as possible if your pet swallowed a battery.  

After making sure the person or pet is safe and no longer has the hearing aid, or hearing aid batteries, inside their mouth, clean them with an alcohol wipe and check if they still work. If your hearing aid is not properly functioning, contact us at Pure Sound Hearing to schedule an appointment with one of our hearing instrument specialists. Make sure you bring every single piece of the hearing aid that you were able to retrieve to our office. 
 
What Should You do if You frequently forget Your Hearing Aids at Home? 

This is the most common mishap. Go back home to get your hearing aids. Routinely wearing the devices is important, so that you can fully communicate and support your brain health. Hearing loss is a continuous experience, so wearing hearing aids is important to help with that loss.  

The best way to prevent yourself from leaving home without your hearing aids is to create a routine. Wear them as recommended by your hearing healthcare provider. If you don’t wear them all of the time, store them in a special case and keep them with something that you never leave the house with, like your car keys, wallet or purse. You may also leave a Post-it note on the inside of your door that you frequently leave the house from, reminding yourself to wear your hearing aids, or even put a reminder on your smartphone.

What to do if You Forget Your Hearing Aids at Home 

Simply go back and get them. If for some reason you can’t go and get them, use a talk-to-text app to communicate, or let others know so they can help you as needed. 

What should You do if You are Unable to find Your Hearing Aid?

If you wear Starkey’s Halo or Halo 2 hearing aids, there is a feature called “Find My Hearing Aids” in the TruLink Hearing Control app for your smartphone. 

If you do not wear Starkey’s Halo or Halo 2 hearing aids, contact your hearing health care provider for help. If your hearing aids are still under warranty, you might be able to replace them at a low cost. 

If you, or a loved one, are looking for new hearing aids, need a replacement for your hearing aids or would like custom-fit hearing aids, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing for a free hearing test and consultation. 

Please be aware that Pure Sound services will only be available by appointment and for essential visits at this time. Essential visits include all appointments that require new hearing aid fittings, repairs and re-fittings. We ask that you please wait in your car, while wearing your mask, and place your hearing aids in a clean zip lock bag.  A staff member will come to your car to get them. If you are having any issues with your hearing aids, or an assistive listening device, please contact us before visiting one of our office locations. 

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