April 2020

mask

Wearing Hearing Aids and a Mask: 5 Tips

Wearing Hearing Aids... Plus a Mask We are currently living in some strange times. In healthcare, wearing masks has been common practice for a long time. Now, with the Covid-19 outbreak more and more people are wearing masks to help protect themselves and others. But what if you wear behind the ear hearing aids? How do you safely wearing hearing aids and a mask? Here are a few tips to help keep you safe during Covid-19 and keep your hearing aids safely behind your ears. Wearing hearing aids and a mask Take extra precautions when removing the mask. Hearing aids can easily get caught on the elastic when removing them. Try taking your mask off only in one or two places (in the car or at home). This will help eliminate places to look if they do come loose and provide some extra security and awareness.  Attach the mask to a headband with buttons. This not only protects the backs of your ears from the elastic but keeps your hearing aids in place too. You can find a pattern for one here. If you have long hair you can also loop the elastic around a ponytail. Get a mask extender. These can be purchased, made, or makeshift (I've seen people use paperclips). These allow the mask to be secured around the back of your head vs. your ears. Use the masks with 4 strings vs elastic. These tie around the back of your head and nape of your neck with no...

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5 Steps if Your Hearing Aids Got Wet

We all know the importance of keeping our electronics dry, including our hearing aids, but sometimes accidents happen.  First off, don’t panic!  We understand that your hearing aids are a valuable part of your daily life and a valuable piece of equipment. Remember hearing aids, like other technology, can be dried, repaired, or replaced. While trying to avoid unnecessary expenses; getting your hearing aids wet is not the end of the world. Deep breath. Follow these 5 simple steps for if your hearing aids get wet 1) Remove your hearing aids from any water or moisture; move far away from the water source if possible 2) If your hearing aids are on, turn them off! Leave them off until fully dry With rechargeable hearing aids, hold down the button for about 10 seconds With zinc-air batteries, remove the batteries and throw them out 3) Shake any water off and gently dry with a paper towel or cloth 4) Leave them to dry. You can do this in one or a combination of ways Leave in a warm spot to air dry Note: Keep your hearing aids away from sources of heat. Extreme heat can damage internal components. With this in mind, keep your hearing aids away from radiators, microwaves, hairdryers, etc.  Place in your Dri Aid kit If you don’t have a Dri aid kit, place your hearing aids in a bag of rice [yep, just like your cellphone, rice will work in a pinch] 5) Call your hearing clinic to...

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