What do you do when mom and dad keep losing their hearing aids

time and time and time again, and the care facility doesn't really care?

Or better yet, they're at home and the dog ate it.

Stay tuned.

There's a lot more in store on this one.

Hearing aids lost and found.

Hello everybody.

It's Nancy May with another episode of Doing it Best With Eldercare Success.

This one is "Can You Hear Me Now?"

You know, the old Verizon commercial that used to say, can you hear me now?

Can you hear me now?

Well, guess what?

Hearing aids are a little bit like the old Verizon commercial

and no, they are not a sponsor.

So in any case, I wanted to share, a question that had come up And I've seen

a number of times where the issue of losing hearing aids becomes a problem.

My own dad had this problem as well.

He really didn't like wearing his hearing aids because they were uncomfortable.

And I also get it.

Vanity played a very strong part in that one.

Oh, I'm not an old fart.

What do I need those for?

Well, it's interesting to know that hearing aids or being able to hear

clearly and better can actually improve your brain health or their brain health.

When you don't have that sense or a sense that you relied on all your life,

losing it actually becomes detrimental to your cognitive capabilities.

But that's for another episode.

However, the question of losing mom and dad's hearing aids, whether it be

at home or at a care facility, is an issue that we all have dealt with or

will deal with at some point in time.

I recently got a question from somebody saying, do you think I should call the

ombudsman because mom keeps losing her hearing aids and they can't find them?

Let me tell you, that is not a case for an ombudsman.

An ombudsman is only dealing with physical or mental abuse.

Loss of a hearing aid is not mental abuse.

Sorry.

however, if mom and dad are in a care facility, and they keep losing

their hearing aids, you know what?

They really don't care about your issues.

It's not that they're bad people.

It's just that they have so many other things to deal with.

And on average, they only have one person, one aid, or one worker

to deal with anywhere between 17 to 20 residents at a time.

Can you imagine trying to find five different people's hearing aids?

those little beige things that are going to blend into any kind of carpet,

unless it's a black one, but even still, they are small enough that they

can easily get swept up into a vacuum.

Or just get swept away or even worse stomped on at up to six or

even eight thousand dollars pair, that's an expensive footprint.

However, caring for mom and dad's stuff, like I said earlier, is

something that those care facilities really don't care much about.

That includes taking care of mom and dad's antique dresser and their hearing aids.

It's just not part of their priority or their responsibility,

to be honest with you.

in this episode, I'm going to share a list of a bunch of ways that you

can protect or try and protect the loss of mom and dad's hearing aids

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 exorbitant charge like going out to get some

fancy little Bluetooth hearing aid and we'll go through those too.

But let me start with item number one.

if mom and dad are in a care facility, make sure that their

hearing aids are actually listed in their chart as a medical necessity.

this way, these tiny little items are more likely to be kept when not in

use, typically at night when mom and dad are asleep, in their med cart.

That means they'll be given back to them in the morning

when medication is handed out.

However, not every facility will do this, and if they're in an independent facility

where medication is not being managed or dispensed, then you're on your own.

a second way to at least maybe retrieve mom and dad's hearing aids

if they get lost is to use a permanent marker to put their name on them.

Alright, it may not look pretty, but it's doable.

Remember when you went off to camp as a kid, and mom would either iron in

your name in the back of your shirt, or your pants, or your shorts, or whatever

you had, and even use an indelible marker to write your name on the back?

Well, same principle applies here.

Lost hearing aid?

Ah!

It's Mr.

May's.

It says May right on the side.

Pretty easy.

And the only cost is an indelible pen or marker.

Now this is an interesting solution.

There's actually something called a hearing aid retention cord or clip

This is like a little, I'll call it sock that goes over the hearing aid and it

will help them keep clean, you know, like all the wax and gunk that gets in there.

the neat thing about this is if it's around their neck or looped around the

back of their neck or attached to a piece of clothing with a little clip

is that you don't have to worry about those hearing aids falling out and.

Maybe Into the Toilet Bowl.

God forbid.

Gross.

And I don't even think about flushing those ones out.

Literally and figuratively.

Kind of like your first goldfish.

I don't think I want to remember that one either.

Okay.

Sorry Goldie.

But in any case, there's a link to this particular device.

in the episode notes.

Another way to recover your hearing aids or their hearing aids if they get

lost is by tracking the serial number.

Now, most hearing aids, because they're expensive, actually have a serial number

somewhere on them if they get lost.

kind of like the, the code or the number that's on the front dashboard of your car.

I actually think it's in about eight different places on your car.

But in any case, these little numbers are a way to track down who owns them.

Now it's kind of also like a dog tag, I guess you might say, except

you don't need a veterinarian or the LostMyDoggie(dotcom) site.

But in this case, you're going to have to make sure that the care facility has that

number so they can track down who owns it.

Now, as I said earlier, care facilities have a lot to deal with, and the

last thing they care about is mom or dad's $6,000 pair of hearing aids.

I know, right?

It's an expensive loss.

However, you can keep that particular number on your cell phone or

somewhere with other records just so that you know it's theirs.

and if they get lost, make sure that Just call the care facility

and say, Mom's lost her hearing aid.

Please check the serial numbers on any of the hearing aids that you may have found.

Mom's is, write out the serial number and make sure they have it.

Better yet, text it or email it to them so they have it printed

out as well on the other end.

Now, you could also forego expensive hearing aids altogether and

instead opt for hearing amplifiers.

They are not the same as hearing aids.

Hearing aids are regulated by the FDA as a medical device.

Amplifiers are designated solely as sound amplifiers And are designed ideally for

people who have normal hearing capability, but just need a little amplification

And you can get those usually for a couple of hundred dollars online.

So that's an easy substitute.

If those expensive ones have gotten lost and mom and dad just don't want them.

You can also get hearing aids at Costco or the VA.

Now, the Veterans Administration is a great place to get these, especially

if mom and dad are a veteran or have worked in service at some point in

time and have the benefits of the VA.

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 and we got them replaced once, but we

couldn't get them replaced again.

So we had to go back, get another set, pay for them out of his insurance

benefits, and we went forward from there.

They also can be fairly uncomfortable Because getting them in your ear the right

way, so they don't feel like, Ooh, I guess I could call it a prosthetic, is not easy.

I rode motorcycles for some time and I had something like that, that went in my

ears to protect my ears from the sound of the wind, which can actually hurt

your ears and your hearing over time.

Those little plastic devices that molded in there, supposedly

custom to my ears, nobody else's.

were uncomfortable when I got them in there.

either way, it's a foreign device in your ear.

And you just have to understand that and explain that to mom and dad if

they're never comfortable with them.

That's why I say the small hearing amplifiers don't do that.

But again, they are amplifiers.

They are not medical devices.

Now, I did mention that hearing aids are regulated by the FDA.

However, there is a new category called OTC or over the counter

hearing aids, which have been approved by the FDA recently.

The whole medical audiology community is an uproar over this, because it

is eating into their business and their industry with lower costs

to us, not to them necessarily.

and it also takes the control over what we spend out of their

hands, just a little bit, which I probably think is not a bad thing.

However, I want to let you know that the OTC hearing aid market is for those who

have just mild to moderate hearing loss.

They can also be bought without a prescription or exam.

That can be a good thing for us,

but that's for another episode.

let me get into another category altogether that might help.

And I bet you're thinking, Why aren't there hearing aids that have a Wi Fi

finder or tracking device on them?

Kind of like when you've lost your phone, or maybe your Tesla.

Now, I don't have a Tesla, but somebody told me that that

actually happens with theirs.

I think that's pretty cool.

the good news is that there are 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 not lose those lottery, right?

Now I'm sounding like a parent.

Please don't let me do that.

However, I will put a link in the show note to these particular

items I'm going to mention next.

You'll have to get each one through a professional audiologist.

Each of the links in the show notes will help you find specialists in your area

who can help your parents, or you, make sure that they don't get lost, or at least

show you how to find them if they do.

of course, that's dependent on making sure that somebody hasn't

stomped on them, big feet or not.

Maybe that's a car rolling over them, unfortunately.

but here are a few names of hearing aid brands that you can check out

and get started down on this road.

I'll start with the least expensive first.

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, 000 is still a lot of money.

Still, it's an opportunity to make sure that if they do

get lost, you can find them.

Consumer Reports gives them a 4 out of 5 ranking for OTC devices.

Again, this is an OTC hearing aid device.

most of these Bluetooth hearing aids will hold a charge for

about 30 hours on average.

Traditional hearing aids that are powered by a battery tend to last longer, but

if they get lost, you could be SOL.

So I guess the inconvenience of having to charge them every night

is probably not a bad thing.

The second one I found is called ReSound One.

R E S O U N D E R E.

S O U N D 1.

Their cost is between 2, 500 to 4, 500 a pair.

They get a Consumer Report Rating of 4 out of 5.

ReSound actually has a 3D app that can 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 hearing aid that's going to cost you

over two grand is a paradise.

And they can go well over the cost of 6, 000 a pair too.

However, they have a rating of 4.

5 out of 5.

there are several others on the market as well, but these are

three that will get you started.

I do want to share that I am not paid by any of these companies to give them

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 to Survive 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 show notes for that as well.

And you can go to howtosurvive911.

com to get your complimentary file of life, which I've researched and

redesigned specifically for you.

A file of life is something that can actually save your

life in the ER or mom and dad's.

Many ER doctors have told us that, especially when seconds count

on your life or somebody else's.

you can also help me by giving this podcast a recommendation on Apple

podcasts and other listening platforms.

And also by sending me note or posting a comment in each platform.

Ideally you like this show, so give it a five star rating.

then also if you have a question or comment that you'd like aired,

please send me a voicemail on EldercareSuccess.Live there's a little

blue tab on the right hand side of that page that says, send Nancy a voicemail.

on that tab.

You can send me a recording and 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.

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 Dunkin Donuts who seems a little stressed out.

It could be their caregiver too.

A link to this show can be your gift to them, because it's my gift to you.

until our next episode, next week on Wednesdays, as always, Be

well, stay well, and keep caring.

It's Nancy May at Eldercare Success.

Bye bye.