I've used N95 and KN95 masks of both types, around the ears and two straps around the head.

I don't have a knowledgeable suggestion for you but I will say that the ones with two behind the head straps are less comfortable and would likely be awkward for a woman because of interference with hair. Unless you mother has very short hair. They're hard to put on and take off. I wear glasses and I have to take them off to do either.

If your mother still has a reasonable amount of cognitive ability, it's going to have to be something she's mindful of when putting on or taking off a mask of any style. Sorry to say, the same applies to anyone wearing an unfastened earring - you need to think about what you're doing if you don't want to lose one. If I tried to put on or take off a mask with my glasses on, they'd fall off and my glass lenses could shatter when hitting the ground. Yes, glass lenses. I need to be careful and I am.

I agree with Elmer’s comments about the discomfort of behind the head straps and the difficulty of putting them on and taking them off. I also wear glasses and it is a chore to get them on properly. Even though I know the mask is not as tight-fitting I have cut the straps and knotted them behind my ears to convert them to ear loop straps. After getting my earrings snagged in straps a couple times I decided to skip the earrings.

I only wear cloth masks with ties. I can't stand anything looped around my ears.

They're a single "string" that ties around my neck with the loop going across the top of my head.

I had not seen my mom since 12/19. She lives in her own home and drives, does her own shopping, takes herself and others to medical and other appointments. She has a good social life. She has been forgetfull for many years. I don't find that has worsened. But her hearing is noticably worse after not seeing her for almost 2 years.

She wears glasses, as well. She has short hair. But she's always misplacing things. Keys, glasses, important papers. We have helped her develop habits to put stuff where she knows it will be. Her neighborhood has had some recent robberies. And while I was in Ohio with her, we had some services come to her home (extermintors, cable/WIFI). She did not hear them arrive, and she no longer has a dog to alert her.

I am a retired audiologist. She made the appointment for her evalutaion knowing i would be there to go with her. She went to a professional, qualified clinic - two women I went to graduate school with own/ work there. i agree with their recommendations for fitting, but want to minimize her risk for losing them.

What I did for my mom was I passed a length of 1/4 inch elastic through both ear loops to go behind the head, and connected them with a cord lock, which adjust the fit.

Or you can buy the Powecom mask the with straps that go behind the head.

https://bonafidemasks.com/kn95-respirator-mask-headband-style-fda-authorized/

Etsy also has cute versions of this "ear saver" for masks.

https://www.amazon.com/Elastic-Button-Masks-Strap-Headband/dp/B08B5DBJRH 

That link doesn't work, Rob.

Hmm. I just tried it again, and it's a working link. I was going to also post a picture of what an ear saver looks like.

How about this link?

https://www.google.com/search?q=ear+saver+for+masks&client=firefox-b-1-m&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV6Pm0g5HzAhVkSjABHTC-AzEQ_AUIBygC&biw=360&bih=592#imgrc=TLbRq6TUQ5V7XM

All real n95 masks have behind the head straps.

Behind the ear masks do not get a tight enough mask to face fit, to pass testing requirements.

These styles below are most commonly used in hospitals. (Personally, I prefer the 3M Aura, pictured top left. I find it easiest to breathe through for prolonged periods.)

Many do not like n95's because they are tight (which is required to prevent air leak).

All available on Amazon.

Do you sew? I make my own masks and make one continuous loop of elastic that goes through both sides of the mask. On one side, I tack down the loop of elastic, and on the other side, I allow the elastic to slide through. This makes it much easier to put the masks on, and you can also do a slight adjustment once the mask is on. Also, you can remove the top loop of the elastic and allow the mask to hang around your neck when you do not need it to cover your face.

I made my sister two different types for her birthday:

and she much prefers the one on the left, which has the elastic going behind the head. The side of the mask that is on top allows the elastic to slide, and you can see where I tacked the elastic on the other side. I tacked the elastic before I folded the end over, and so you cannot see the tack from the front of the mask.

I used cotton and linen for the exterior of the mask and silk for the lining. I read somewhere that the combination of silk and cotton or linen is better than all cotton, but all silk is not a good choice. These masks also allow for interior filters.

Maybe these could work? They mention hearing aids: https://www.etsy.com/listing/923864672/ear-free-adjustable-face-mask-solid
Watch the video in the ad to see how they work

eta: to add a pic that wouldn't load before. You can see the way the strap fits below the ear. The reviews are very positive re: hearing aids and glasses and you can also add an extra filter if you want. They appear to fit snugly.

My husband wears hearing aids. When we had to wear the masks he only wore the ones I made with the elastic around the head. The hearing aid kept on popping off every time he wore the ear loop and were uncomfortable. He lost an hearing aid at a gas station pump because of the ear loop mask. Luckily we found it undamaged. I have short hair and liked the elastic around the head. That way you could just pull it down around your neck when not needed. Same with my two grade school grands. They only will wear Grammys home made masks that go around the head. I use elastic jewelry cord from Joanne fabrics. It is stretchy enough that you don't have to take off your glasses to remove the mask. You do have to be careful with earring though.

I am able to tighten the over the ear masks by twisting the bands. I agree with mdln, those I have like that are KN95s and the N95s do go behind the head. It's true that a proper filtering mask needs to be snug all around, especially along the cheeks, under the jaw, and the bridge of the nose.

Also keep in mind that these masks have limited useful lives. I think when used in a healthcare setting, a new one is taken no less often than once a day. Is that what you do, mdln?

Homemade masks do not work as well.

How's this for a comment:

"When we had to wear the masks........"

Homemade masks do not work as well.

That's why I switched to the KN95 masks, although I have made dozens of cloth masks. I find the KN95s to be comfortable and actually easier to breathe through than the cloth masks. I also tie a little knot in the ear loops to improve the fit.

Terezosa, someone gave us a pkg of kn95s, we wore one once for an hour. They were like wearing sandpaper on your face.

https://mandalascrubs.com/products/face-mask i prefer head strap style and purchase from Mandala Scrubs. they come with what seems to be a good quality liner.

I only wear N95 masks. They fit around the head. I find them to be more comfortable than the over the ear masks. I don't understand the comment about the ones feeling like sandpaper. Mine are soft. Also, don't waste your money on cloth masks. They don't provide much protection.

When I wear an N95, the elastic slides on my head, bottom one slipping down on my neck, top band sliding up or down. Maybe I'm wearing it wrong.

socks, it sounds like your N95 mask is too big. Try another brand. There are many N95 masks. The one that I wear is by Harley.

I really like those ear saver ideas - thanks for that link, rob 😃

I wear black KN95s with ear loops, and another cloth or medical mask over that when I'm indoors around strangers. My ears are sensitive and get very sore after several hours of that at work. I've been thinking about making something similar to take the pressure off.

And those masks look really nice, Lars.

I'm a bit puzzled by the sandpaper comment too. My KN95s are soft and comfortable on the inside. The only part that's ever uncomfortable is the elastic around my ears and all masks are like that for me. I buy Powecom from BonaFideMasks.com.

I found this at that Google search results page - behind the head hacks from nurses:

https://nurse.org/articles/face-mask-ear-pain-relief/

I wear behind the ear (pricey) hearing aids that are tiny-pretty invisible to others. I have to be careful with the behind the ear masks, but I don't care for the double strap, over the head ones, either. I have broken the elastic more than once and they, too, can knock an aid out. I like the idea of the ear savers, but haven't tried them yet. I don't think there is any easy answer to your question. If you wear masks and aids you have to be very aware of the aid when you put the mask on and take off. And if she isn't getting molds made to her ear, they are even easier to lose. I lost one before masks were a thing and at that time they were 3k each-that really makes you sick!

DH has hearing aids over the ear and manages to wear masks with them. The key is to lift the mask off by going over the ear, front to back so the aids stay in place and you lift it up and over the aid, front to back.

In that nurse article, I see only one mask being worn properly. All the others have gaps along the sides.

I am grateful for all of your thoughtful comments. I am hopeful to find a solution, as these are costing more than my first car. But she needs to stay engaged in the game of life - she's healthy and loves her life but is missing out on so much.

You might also look at mask extenders which keep the ear loops off the ears by connecting behind the head: https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Anti-Slip-Extension-Extender-Comfortable/dp/B087PZ1CCT/ref=asc_df_B087PZ1CCT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507593807983&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6243142471617014547&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003385&hvtargid=pla-927223095326&psc=1

I make and wear masks similar to Lars for my own preference and comfort, using a round elastic (bought a zillion yards earlier in pandemic). The fit is easily adjustable.. My Dad has lost nearly all his hearing and it definitely negatively affects his life as well as everyone around him. If you like I'm happy to sew a few and send to you to try with your Mom. Good luck.

H B - that is very generous of you. I will talk to my Mom and show her all of these ideas and see what she thinks. It makes me sad, how much she misses out on what's going on around her, but i'm also happy that her hearing loss can be helped well with these hearing aids. I have been developing hearing loss, myself. I told her I'm going to try hers when she gets them and see what I've been missing.

When I had my practice, in-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing aids were "the thing" because no one wanted the bulky BTE's - I only fit behind-the-ear instruments to severely impaired losses because they had more power without feedback. Before computers, I had to open a flap on the back of the device and used a miniscule screwdriver to change the settings. Call me a dinosaur.

Now, the BTE's are so slim and sleek and are so programmable there's no reason to wear ITE's. They are prone to so much trouble because of earwax and moisture. I can't even wear earbuds without irritation - who needs a bulky thing in their ear??

The thing about the in the ear, as my mother complained about, is they blocked up your ears just like when you had a cold. She found it especially annoying when she was eating and all she could hear was herself chewing. With the open ear canal ones, the hearing is much more natural.

They also have noise canceling capabilities now which help in noisy environments like restaurants making it easier to hear the up close conversations.

I wouldn't recommend trying your mother's to judge whether or not they'd be good for you as that's like trying on someone else's glasses. They adjust the units for the specific ranges of hearing loss the person has, and it takes time for the brain to adjust to the new sounds and adjust accordingly as well. That's why it's so important that they be worn regularly. Using them only once in awhile is not a good idea.