How to Find a Lost Hearing Aid—and Stop Losing It Again
If a hearing aid has gone missing, start by checking the places where it was last removed: beside the bed, in the bathroom, near a favourite chair, around clothing and inside its charging case. Search systematically, keep the room quiet and use the hearing-aid manufacturer’s app if the device supports location tracking.
Hearing aids are particularly difficult to find because they are small, lightweight and easily caught in bedding, clothing or upholstery. Here is how to make the search faster—and reduce the chances of it happening again.
Start with the most likely places
Think about when the hearing aid was last being worn and what happened immediately afterward.
Common places to check include:
- Inside or beside the hearing-aid case
- On a bedside table
- In the bed, under a pillow or inside the bedding
- Around a favourite chair or sofa
- In bathroom drawers or beside the sink
- In clothing pockets
- Inside a robe, sweater or pajama top
- On the floor near where clothing was changed
- In a purse, glasses case or medication container
- Under furniture or between sofa cushions
- In a laundry hamper, towel or tissue
If the person sometimes removes their hearing aids when they become uncomfortable, look near the places where they spend the most time—not only where the hearing aids are normally stored.
Search one area at a time
Avoid moving quickly between rooms. That makes it easy to search the same places repeatedly while overlooking others.
Instead:
- Choose the room where the hearing aid was most likely lost.
- Search from one side of the room to the other.
- Check surfaces first.
- Inspect fabrics, pockets and upholstery.
- Use a flashlight at floor level.
- Move to the next room only after completing the first.
- A low flashlight beam can create a shadow that makes a tiny hearing aid easier to spot.
Make the room quiet
Turn off the television, music and other background noise. If the hearing aid is still powered on and its manufacturer’s app can make it play a sound, a quiet room will make that sound easier to hear.
Some hearing-aid apps can show the last location where the phone and hearing aid were connected. This may identify the general area, but it does not always reveal whether the hearing aid is under a blanket, inside a pocket or between cushions.
Check anything that may have been moved
A hearing aid may have travelled with something else.
Carefully check:
- Clothing that has been changed
- Towels and washcloths
- Bedding that has been removed
- Laundry hampers
- Garbage bins
- Tissues and tissue boxes
- Meal trays
- Bags and purses
- Wheelchair pockets
- Walker baskets
Be especially cautious before laundering clothing or bedding. Hearing aids can be damaged by both washing machines and dryers.
If the hearing aid is missing in senior living
Tell the care team as soon as possible. Share:
- When it was last seen
- Which ear it belongs to
- Its make, model and colour
- Where it is normally stored
- What the resident was doing when it may have gone missing
- Whether the manufacturer’s app shows a last-known location
Ask whether the community has a lost-property process and whether staff can check laundry, housekeeping and common areas.
A photograph of the hearing aid can also help staff recognize it.
How to stop losing hearing aids
A consistent routine makes a significant difference.
Choose one place where hearing aids are always stored when they are not being worn. Ideally, this should be a visible, easy-to-reach location beside the charging case or storage container.
Other helpful habits include:
- Using a brightly coloured hearing-aid case
- Photographing the hearing aids and recording their serial numbers
- Labeling the case with the owner’s name
- Checking for both hearing aids before clearing meal trays
- Checking pockets and bedding before laundry is collected
- Using a small item finder designed to help locate frequently misplaced belongings
Traditional labels help identify a hearing aid once someone finds it. They do not help locate it when it is hidden nearby.
A simpler way to find frequently misplaced items
MeepMeep makes small item finders for hearing aids, glasses and other important belongings. When an item goes missing, the MeepMeep app can make its attached finder ring—helping the owner or someone they trust track it down.
Access can be safely shared with family, friends, neighbours and care professionals, so the person searching does not always have to be the person who owns the item.
MeepMeep is currently preparing its first at-home production run.
Reserve your MeepMeep for $10 and help us bring item finders for aging independently home.