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If you lose your hearing aid, please check your hearing aid app first to see if it has the "Find My Hearing Aid" function. If not, this is the next step.

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Writer Joy Victory, Executive Editor Healthy Hearing December 13, 2021 2021-12-13T00:00:00-06:00

Lost your hearing aid? It happened more than you think. The hearing aid is small and very comfortable, and if it falls, you may not even notice it immediately.

According to hearing aid warranty company ESCO, some of the main reasons people lose their hearing aids are simply putting them around the house, or falling or getting lost during the trip. But that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past few years, masks have become the main culprit for people losing their hearing aids: when people take off their masks, their hearing aids may also be taken off inadvertently.

ESCO marketing manager Patrick Miller pointed out in a blog post about the surge in hearing aid loss during the pandemic that “every hearing aid lost is a way for someone to communicate with family, friends, and loved ones.” .

If you are using a modern hearing aid, your hearing aid may come with a hearing aid app with the "Find My Hearing Aid" function. This can be priceless, and if you can’t quickly search your surroundings, this should be the first thing you need to do.

If you have a hearing aid app, please check if it has the "Find My Hearing Aid" function. The following are instructions for people who have Oticon More hearing aids (found on page 22 of the Oticon On app user manual):

"If you can’t find a hearing aid, the app can show you a map containing the last known location of the hearing aid paired while the app was running.

To find the missing hearing aid:

1. On the tab bar, tap Hearing aids.

2. Click Find my hearing aid.

The proximity bar indicates the distance between you and each connected hearing aid. If your phone is out of range of your hearing aid or the connection is lost, you can check the date and time of the last connection. On the map, a green marker indicates that there is a connection between your hearing aid and your phone. The red mark indicates that the connection is lost. For best results, it is recommended to keep the application open, whether it is actively used or running in the background. "

Some other major hearing aid manufacturers have similar hearing aid tracker features. For example, this is Starkey's. ReSound's Smart app also provides this feature for many of their hearing aids.

Although this may seem frustratingly obvious advice, it may pay off to review your steps before you lose your hearing aid. Even if you have already done this, please try again. Think carefully about when you determined the last time you wore your hearing aid and what you were doing at the time. How did you notice that your hearing aid was missing, and where were you at the time? 

If you were in a public place or business when you lost your hearing aid, please call them or visit them. Well-meaning people are everywhere, and one of them may have turned your precious hearing aid into a "lost and found". Talk to the person in the meeting and describe the appearance of your hearing aid. If they don’t, please leave your name and number and ask to call when the hearing aid appears. It may be helpful to check a few more times. Seek help from family and friends to help you find your hearing aid at home or wherever you think possible.

If going back in your steps and searching for your home, office, car, wallet or briefcase will not help, please contact your hearing care provider. Most hearing aids are covered by the manufacturer for one-time loss and damage at least for the first year or even longer. Your provider will be able to tell you easily if you are covered. They may also know whether your app has a "Find My Hearing Aid" feature, and if you are not sure how to use the app, they can help you use it.

Some hearing aid wearers choose to purchase additional insurance for their devices through third parties such as ESCO or Midwest Hearing Industries. Others choose to add a special additional clause to their existing homeowners insurance to cover the loss and damage of hearing aids. 

If you are covered by the manufacturer or one of these additional options, please ask your provider for the next steps. Sometimes, you need to provide a simple notarized letter to the manufacturer or insurance company.

Please note that even if the hearing aid is covered and you can replace it for free, your hearing care professional may still charge you a small fee based on their time or installing a new device when it arrives. 

Knowing what to do when a hearing aid is lost is important, but most wearers prefer to avoid loss altogether. You can take the following measures to prevent loss of hearing aids:

Joy Victory has extensive experience in editing consumer health information. Her training especially focuses on how to best communicate evidence-based medicine guidelines and clinical trial results to the public. She strives to make health content accurate, accessible and attractive to the public. Read more about Joey.

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