Top 10 ingenious tips For when Dad's lost his hearing aids! Can You Hear Me Now?

Tracking Lost Hearing Aids: Tips and Solutions

Welcome to another episode of "Doing it Best with Eldercare Success," titled "Can You Hear Me Now?" In this episode, your host and family senior care expert, Nancy May, dives into the all-too-common issue of lost hearing aids and gives you practical solutions to keep those costly devices safe. From simple low-cost solutions that might remind you of your own camp days to more costly high-tech options and Bluetooth trackers, Nancy shares valuable tips to help you and your loved ones avoid the frustration and expense of losing hearing aids.

Whether your elderly parents are at home, in a care facility, or even if the dog has a taste for expensive tech, this episode is packed with creative and affordable ways to ensure those tiny but vital devices stay put.

Listen in for real-life advice and innovative solutions to keep the hearing aids secure and your mind at ease.

Key Points:

• 🖊️ How to Labe for safety
• 🧵 Simple "Tye'm On" tools
• 🖊️Serial help - really!
• 📱 Find them anywhere with Bluetooth trackers.

Helpful Links:

Helpful Links:

• Podcast: Eldercare Success (please share with those you care about)
• Book: How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, and After
• Eldercare Success on YouTube
• Eldercare Success, link to ask Nancy a question: A small blue tab on the right side of the page says "Send a Voice Mail Message to Nancy." Click on that and follow the directions on the pop-up.  Then, send me your comments and questions so I can answer them on the show.

Hearing Aid tools and solutions

• Hearing Aid Retention Clilps
• Jabra Enhance Plus
• ReSound One
• Phonak Audeo Paradise

How you can help:

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend, family member, or even someone you see at your local coffee shop who might be dealing with similar caregiving challenges. Don't forget to subscribe to "Doing it Best with Eldercare Success" on your favorite podcast platform and leave us a five-star review. Your support helps us continue to bring valuable content to caregivers everywhere. Visit EldercareSuccess.Live to leave Nancy a voicemail with your questions or comments for a chance to be featured on the show.

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Episode Transcript

Nancy May (00:00):
What do you do when mom and dad keep losing their hearing aids
time and time and time again, and thecare facility doesn't really care?
Or better yet, they're athome and the dog ate it.
Stay tuned.
There's a lot more in store on this one.
Hearing aids lost and found.

(00:25):
Hello everybody.
It's Nancy May with another episode ofDoing it Best With Eldercare Success.
This one is "Can You Hear Me Now?"
You know, the old Verizon commercialthat used to say, can you hear me now?
Can you hear me now?
Well, guess what?
Hearing aids are a little bitlike the old Verizon commercial
and no, they are not a sponsor.
So in any case, I wanted to share, aquestion that had come up And I've seen

(00:50):
a number of times where the issue oflosing hearing aids becomes a problem.
My own dad had this problem as well.
He really didn't like wearing his hearingaids because they were uncomfortable.
And I also get it.
Vanity played a verystrong part in that one.
Oh, I'm not an old fart.
What do I need those for?
Well, it's interesting to know thathearing aids or being able to hear

(01:14):
clearly and better can actually improveyour brain health or their brain health.
When you don't have that sense or asense that you relied on all your life,
losing it actually becomes detrimentalto your cognitive capabilities.
But that's for another episode.

(01:34):
However, the question of losing momand dad's hearing aids, whether it be
at home or at a care facility, is anissue that we all have dealt with or
will deal with at some point in time.
I recently got a question from somebodysaying, do you think I should call the
ombudsman because mom keeps losing herhearing aids and they can't find them?
Let me tell you, that isnot a case for an ombudsman.

(01:57):
An ombudsman is only dealingwith physical or mental abuse.
Loss of a hearing aid is not mental abuse.
Sorry.
however, if mom and dad are in acare facility, and they keep losing
their hearing aids, you know what?
They really don't care about your issues.

(02:19):
It's not that they're bad people.
It's just that they have somany other things to deal with.
And on average, they only haveone person, one aid, or one worker
to deal with anywhere between17 to 20 residents at a time.
Can you imagine trying to find fivedifferent people's hearing aids?
those little beige things that aregoing to blend into any kind of carpet,

(02:42):
unless it's a black one, but evenstill, they are small enough that they
can easily get swept up into a vacuum.
Or just get swept away or evenworse stomped on at up to six or
even eight thousand dollars pair,that's an expensive footprint.
However, caring for mom and dad'sstuff, like I said earlier, is

(03:04):
something that those care facilitiesreally don't care much about.
That includes taking care of mom and dad'santique dresser and their hearing aids.
It's just not part of theirpriority or their responsibility,
to be honest with you.
in this episode, I'm going to sharea list of a bunch of ways that you
can protect or try and protect theloss of mom and dad's hearing aids

(03:27):
without a lot of extra cost or expense.
These are fairly simple.
There may be a small nominal charge.
But, it's not going to be an exorbitantcharge like going out to get some
fancy little Bluetooth hearing aidand we'll go through those too.
But let me start with item number one.
if mom and dad are in a carefacility, make sure that their

(03:51):
hearing aids are actually listed intheir chart as a medical necessity.
this way, these tiny little items aremore likely to be kept when not in
use, typically at night when mom anddad are asleep, in their med cart.
That means they'll be givenback to them in the morning
when medication is handed out.

(04:11):
However, not every facility will do this,and if they're in an independent facility
where medication is not being managedor dispensed, then you're on your own.
a second way to at least mayberetrieve mom and dad's hearing aids
if they get lost is to use a permanentmarker to put their name on them.

(04:32):
Alright, it may not lookpretty, but it's doable.
Remember when you went off to camp asa kid, and mom would either iron in
your name in the back of your shirt, oryour pants, or your shorts, or whatever
you had, and even use an indeliblemarker to write your name on the back?
Well, same principle applies here.
Lost hearing aid?

(04:52):
Ah!
It's Mr.
May's.
It says May right on the side.
Pretty easy.
And the only cost is anindelible pen or marker.
Now this is an interesting solution.
There's actually something called ahearing aid retention cord or clip
This is like a little, I'll call it sockthat goes over the hearing aid and it

(05:14):
will help them keep clean, you know, likeall the wax and gunk that gets in there.
the neat thing about this is if it'saround their neck or looped around the
back of their neck or attached to apiece of clothing with a little clip
is that you don't have to worry aboutthose hearing aids falling out and.
Maybe Into the Toilet Bowl.
God forbid.
Gross.

(05:35):
And I don't even think aboutflushing those ones out.
Literally and figuratively.
Kind of like your first goldfish.
I don't think I want toremember that one either.
Okay.
Sorry Goldie.
But in any case, there's alink to this particular device.
in the episode notes.
Another way to recover your hearingaids or their hearing aids if they get

(05:56):
lost is by tracking the serial number.
Now, most hearing aids, because they'reexpensive, actually have a serial number
somewhere on them if they get lost.
kind of like the, the code or the numberthat's on the front dashboard of your car.
I actually think it's in abouteight different places on your car.
But in any case, these little numbersare a way to track down who owns them.

(06:22):
Now it's kind of also like a dogtag, I guess you might say, except
you don't need a veterinarian orthe LostMyDoggie(dotcom) site.
But in this case, you're going to have tomake sure that the care facility has that
number so they can track down who owns it.
Now, as I said earlier, care facilitieshave a lot to deal with, and the
last thing they care about is mom ordad's $6,000 pair of hearing aids.

(06:46):
I know, right?
It's an expensive loss.
However, you can keep that particularnumber on your cell phone or
somewhere with other records justso that you know it's theirs.
and if they get lost, make surethat Just call the care facility
and say, Mom's lost her hearing aid.
Please check the serial numbers on any ofthe hearing aids that you may have found.

(07:07):
Mom's is, write out the serialnumber and make sure they have it.
Better yet, text it or email itto them so they have it printed
out as well on the other end.
Now, you could also forego expensivehearing aids altogether and
instead opt for hearing amplifiers.
They are not the same as hearing aids.

(07:27):
Hearing aids are regulated bythe FDA as a medical device.
Amplifiers are designated solely as soundamplifiers And are designed ideally for
people who have normal hearing capability,but just need a little amplification
And you can get those usually fora couple of hundred dollars online.

(07:48):
So that's an easy substitute.
If those expensive ones have gotten lostand mom and dad just don't want them.
You can also get hearingaids at Costco or the VA.
Now, the Veterans Administration is agreat place to get these, especially
if mom and dad are a veteran or haveworked in service at some point in
time and have the benefits of the VA.

(08:10):
Now, I have to let you know,Costco, the VA, and most hearing
aid companies will replace.
One if lost.
However, two, three,four, not going to happen.
My dad lost his several times andwe got them replaced once, but we

(08:30):
couldn't get them replaced again.
So we had to go back, get anotherset, pay for them out of his insurance
benefits, and we went forward from there.
They also can be fairly uncomfortableBecause getting them in your ear the right
way, so they don't feel like, Ooh, I guessI could call it a prosthetic, is not easy.

(08:54):
I rode motorcycles for some time and Ihad something like that, that went in my
ears to protect my ears from the soundof the wind, which can actually hurt
your ears and your hearing over time.
Those little plastic devicesthat molded in there, supposedly
custom to my ears, nobody else's.
were uncomfortable whenI got them in there.
either way, it's a foreigndevice in your ear.

(09:16):
And you just have to understand thatand explain that to mom and dad if
they're never comfortable with them.
That's why I say the smallhearing amplifiers don't do that.
But again, they are amplifiers.
They are not medical devices.
Now, I did mention that hearingaids are regulated by the FDA.
However, there is a new categorycalled OTC or over the counter

(09:41):
hearing aids, which have beenapproved by the FDA recently.
The whole medical audiology communityis an uproar over this, because it
is eating into their business andtheir industry with lower costs
to us, not to them necessarily.
and it also takes the controlover what we spend out of their

(10:03):
hands, just a little bit, which Iprobably think is not a bad thing.
However, I want to let you know that theOTC hearing aid market is for those who
have just mild to moderate hearing loss.
They can also be boughtwithout a prescription or exam.
That can be a good thing for us,

(10:23):
but that's for another episode.
let me get into another categoryaltogether that might help.
And I bet you're thinking, Why aren'tthere hearing aids that have a Wi Fi
finder or tracking device on them?
Kind of like when you've lostyour phone, or maybe your Tesla.
Now, I don't have a Tesla,but somebody told me that that

(10:43):
actually happens with theirs.
I think that's pretty cool.
the good news is that thereare some hearing aids that have
Bluetooth built in finders.
Their price range go anywhere from$2, 000 up to over $6, 000 a pair.
Yikes!
Mom and Dad better notlose those lottery, right?
Now I'm sounding like a parent.

(11:05):
Please don't let me do that.
However, I will put a link inthe show note to these particular
items I'm going to mention next.
You'll have to get each onethrough a professional audiologist.
Each of the links in the show notes willhelp you find specialists in your area
who can help your parents, or you, makesure that they don't get lost, or at least

(11:25):
show you how to find them if they do.
of course, that's dependent onmaking sure that somebody hasn't
stomped on them, big feet or not.
Maybe that's a car rollingover them, unfortunately.
but here are a few names of hearingaid brands that you can check out
and get started down on this road.
I'll start with the least expensive first.

(11:46):
The first is Jabra Enhance Plus.
That's J A B R A, Enhance Plus.
Their cost is around 2,000 or less per pair.
Now, I know that 2, 000is still a lot of money.
Still, it's an opportunityto make sure that if they do
get lost, you can find them.

(12:08):
Consumer Reports gives them a 4out of 5 ranking for OTC devices.
Again, this is an OTC hearing aid device.
most of these Bluetooth hearingaids will hold a charge for
about 30 hours on average.
Traditional hearing aids that are poweredby a battery tend to last longer, but

(12:29):
if they get lost, you could be SOL.
So I guess the inconvenience ofhaving to charge them every night
is probably not a bad thing.
The second one I foundis called ReSound One.
R E S O U N D E R E.
S O U N D 1.
Their cost is between2, 500 to 4, 500 a pair.

(12:51):
They get a Consumer ReportRating of 4 out of 5.
ReSound actually has a 3D app thatcan help you locate missing hearing
aids via the Bluetooth again.
And third is Phonic.
P H O N A K, Audio, A U D E O, Paradise.
I'm not sure having a hearingaid that's going to cost you

(13:13):
over two grand is a paradise.
And they can go well over thecost of 6, 000 a pair too.
However, they have a rating of 4.
5 out of 5.
there are several others on themarket as well, but these are
three that will get you started.
I do want to share that I am not paidby any of these companies to give them

(13:34):
an endorsement, so we are ad free.
however, on that note, of course,if you'd like to give me a little
support, I'd appreciate that.
You can do so by going to the book, How toSurvive 9 1 1 Medical Emergencies, a step
by step guide before, during, and after.
Now that's actually helped you too.
There's a link in the shownotes for that as well.

(13:56):
And you can go to howtosurvive911.
com to get your complimentary fileof life, which I've researched and
redesigned specifically for you.
A file of life is somethingthat can actually save your
life in the ER or mom and dad's.
Many ER doctors have told usthat, especially when seconds count

(14:16):
on your life or somebody else's.
you can also help me by giving thispodcast a recommendation on Apple
podcasts and other listening platforms.
And also by sending me note orposting a comment in each platform.
Ideally you like this show,so give it a five star rating.
then also if you have a questionor comment that you'd like aired,

(14:38):
please send me a voicemail onEldercareSuccess.Live there's a little
blue tab on the right hand side of thatpage that says, send Nancy a voicemail.
on that tab.
You can send me a recordingand I'll air it on the show.
Just send me an, I love you, Nancy.
This is a great show note.
I'll be happy to have that one too.

(14:58):
And so will others.
Finally, like I always like to say,if you like this show, please share
it with a friend, a family member,or anybody else that you might see
standing online at Starbucks or DunkinDonuts who seems a little stressed out.
It could be their caregiver too.
A link to this show can be your giftto them, because it's my gift to you.

(15:20):
until our next episode, nextweek on Wednesdays, as always, Be
well, stay well, and keep caring.
It's Nancy May at Eldercare Success.
Bye bye.