Wearing a face mask in public has become increasingly common, even required in some public places, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been well documented that people with hearing loss have found it to be increasingly challenging to communicate with others who are wearing masks, as they muffle sound and eliminate lip reading cues.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the only challenge individuals with hearing loss face. The over-the-ear face mask, often the most common style, puts hearing aid wearers at risk for misplacing their behind-the-ear devices when they become entangled upon removal. So, what do N95 face masks, the children’s game “Barrel of Monkeys,” and headbands all have in common? They help provide solutions to this common problem!

Below we’ve listed some recommendations to help reduce your risk of losing your hearing aids: