Here's a thought: Open your game in full screen mode and place a child as close to the remote as possible so that a portion of their "selection circle" is touching the remote. It might work, might not but certainly worth a try. I once lost my remote for days and 1 day it turned up in a new place.

I wonder if the maid event will work on the remote.
In the meantime I guess it's "Turn Off the TV Week" for your peeps.