When a hearing aid disaster strikes, panic may set in. You may feel disoriented or confused and not know what to do next. This article will help prepare you so you can stay calm and be in control of the situation.

The best way to handle an emergency is to prevent it in the first place. We’ll cover prevention strategies as well as ways to handle hearing aid disasters once they occur.

Prevent Losing Your Hearing Aids

Whenever you remove a hat, scarf, or anything that touches your head, neck or ears, check to make sure that it hasn’t pulled off your hearing aids. Hearing aid clips can keep your devices attached to you, even if they come out of your ears. You can also speak to your audiologist about specially designed earmolds or ear-grips that are meant to keep your hearing aids in place.

What To Do When Your Hearing Aid Falls Out

If you notice that your hearing aid isn’t in your ear anymore, immediately stop moving and ask everyone around you to stop moving as well. Pat yourself down starting at your head and work your way down your body to see if your hearing aid is stuck to your clothes. Try to remember the last time you were aware of your hearing aids, and if anything brushed against your ears since then. Hopefully, retracing your steps or carefully checking your clothes will find your hearing aid intact.

Hearing Aid Disaster Prevention In The Bathroom

The bathroom is a popular place for people to put in and take out their hearing aids, but it leads to many devices being dropped in the toilet or down the drain.To avoid this, handle your hearing aids in a safe place like your bedroom, where you can sit down while you insert and remove them. If you must do it in the bathroom, plug the sink and close the lid on the toilet first.

What To Do When Hearing Aids Go Down The Drain

If you drop your hearing aid in the sink, try to get it out as fast as possible. Disinfect the hearing aid and earmold surface with a non-alcohol based disinfectant towelette. If your hearing aid goes down the drain, someone who is handy with a pipe wrench may be able to retrieve it for you. Make sure to clean and disinfect your hearing aid before reinserting into your ear.

What To Do When Hearing Aids Fall In The Toilet

If you drop your hearing aid in a clean toilet, try to get it out as fast as possible, dry it with a towel and disinfect it with a disinfectant towlette. Check to see if your device is working. If it isn’t, remove the battery and put it in a hearing aid dryer (such as the Dry & Store) with the battery door open – preferably overnight. If it still doesn’t work in the morning with fresh batteries, call your audiologist.

If your hearing aid is dropped into an unflushed toilet, it is a biohazard and should not go back in your ears. Call your audiologist.

Prevent Hearing Aids Under Water

Because today’s hearing aids are so comfortable, you may forget to take them off before you step into the shower or swimming pool. This is more likely to happen when you’re on vacation, and away from your normal routine. Make it a habit to check for your hearing aids before you go in any water, and if you’re on vacation, clip a note to your towel or bathing suit reminding you to take them out. Make sure you keep the case handy for storage while you’re enjoying the pool or ocean.

What To Do When Hearing Aids Get Wet

If you do get your hearing aids wet, take them out of your ears right away and dry them with a towel. Remove the batteries and put the hearing aids in a hearing aid dryer with the battery doors open overnight. If they still don’t work in the morning with fresh batteries, call your audiologist.

Our Emergency After Hours Service

Whether you are a patient at Hearing Doctors or not, we offer you ​after hours emergency service to help you with lost or damaged hearing aids outside of normal business hours. Simply click the red “Emergency Service” button at the bottom of our website, or click​ here and submit your request. Please note that this service is not for medical emergencies.

Hearing aid misfortunes can be a hassle, but with a little care and forethought, you can keep your hearing aids out of harm’s way while enjoying all the sounds of life around you.