If you’ve ever repaired anything professionally you know the scene:
A client walks in holding a smashed something in their hands and wearing a sad face. Hearing aids are no different. The usual stories involve dogs or cats chewing on them, or someone dropping one and stepping on it. But every now and then, I get a much better story!
Here’s my curated list of the most unusual – and sometimes scary – things that have happened to hearing aids during my years as a hearing care provider:
- Candle-Drying Catastrophe: One hearing aid got wet when snow fell on the wearer’s head. To dry it, they taped the device to the ceiling above a candle. The heat melted the tape, releasing the hearing aid, which fell into the flame, caught fire, and melted!
- Microwave Mayhem: Another wet hearing aid story: after it fell into the sink, the person retrieved it and popped it into the microwave to dry. Since hearing aids contain metal… well, it went BOOM.
- Hooked and Released: While fishing with a friend, the friend’s cast accidentally hooked the hearing aid and flung it into the lake – never to be seen again.
- Gone with the Wind: A customer placed their hearing aids in their front pocket while riding a motorcycle to keep them safe. But while driving through a dirt devil, they watched the hearing aid get lifted out of their pocket and whisked away!
- The Peanut Mix-Up: This client had in-the-ear hearing aids which are small, beige and kind of peanut-looking. When she was talking on the phone, she took the hearing aid out and put it on the table where she had a handful of peanuts. She scooped up the hearing aid with the peanuts and accidentally ate it!
- Moving Mystery: Hearing aids are so advanced now that you can track them via GPS using a smartphone app, which is super useful if you lose them. Well, this person lost their hearing aids and used this feature to find them, but when they tracked the missing device, they saw it moving around the house! After much confusion, they realized their beloved canine had eaten it and left with the dog walker.
- Voices from beyond: When Bluetooth™ hearing aids first came out, I had some folks connect their hearing aids to their kids’ phone. One time a call came into the daughter’s phone, but the daughter didn’t hear anyone. Her poor mom thought someone was speaking to her from beyond the grave since she didn’t realize it was a phone call in her hearing aids!
- Flushed: Getting ready to take a shower, my client put their hearing aids on the sink. After the shower, a small bump while turning made the hearing aid drop down and fall in the toilet. There was no way to get it out as it went completely down the pipes.
- Shave and a Haircut: Today’s hearing devices are so small you can barely see them. One customer forgot to take their hearing aids out for their haircut. Thinking it was a stray hair, their hairdresser cut the wire and broke the hearing device.
- Birds of Prey: One patient was out gardening and to avoid getting their hearing aids dirty, they put them on the outdoor table. Well, the sun made them sparkle, which is just the most exciting thing for crows, and a crow swooped down and stole one of the hearing aids.
These are some scary stories if you depend on hearing aids, so remember these tips to prevent accidents:
- Dogs like the taste of earwax, so never leave your hearing aids anywhere that your dog or cat can get to them!
- Always put your hearing aids in a case or charger if you aren’t wearing them – never on a counter, near a snack or in a pocket.
- If your hearing aid gets wet, follow the instructions found here, never put them in a microwave or over an open flame.
- Finally, if you lose your hearing aids, check your Oticon Companion app to help find them.
Be sure to ask your hearing care provider about your device warranty and replacement policy to see if you can get a replacement after an accident like one of these.
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