Tom is excited, he’s getting a new knee! Look, as you get older, the kinds of things you get excited about change. He will be able to move moving around more freely and will experience less pain with this knee replacement. So Tom goes in, the operation is a success, and Tom heads home!
But that isn’t the end of it.
The knee doesn’t heal as well as it should. Tom finds himself back in the hospital with an infection and will need another surgery. Tom isn’t as psyched by this point. As the nurses and doctors attempt to figure out what happened, it becomes evident that Tom wasn’t adhering to his recovery instructions.
So here’s the thing: it isn’t that Tom didn’t want to follow those recovery guidelines. The issue is that he never heard them. It turns out that there is a solid connection between hospital visits and hearing loss, so Tom isn’t alone.
Hearing loss can result in more hospital visits
The common drawbacks of hearing loss are something that most individuals are already acquainted with: you have the tendency to socially isolate yourself, causing you to become more distant from friends and loved ones, and you increase your danger of developing dementia. But we’re finally beginning to comprehend some of the less evident drawbacks to hearing loss.
Increased emergency room trips is one of those relationships that’s becoming more apparent. One study revealed that individuals with hearing loss have a 17% greater danger of needing a visit to the emergency room and a 44% higher chance of readmission later on.
What’s the link?
This might be the situation for a couple of reasons.
- Your potential of readmission considerably increases once you’re in the hospital. But when you’re discharged and go home for a time but then need to go back to the hospital, readmission happens. Complications sometimes happen that result in this readmission. Readmission can also occur because the initial issue wasn’t correctly managed or even from a new issue.
- Your situational awareness can be impacted negatively by neglected hearing loss. Anything from a stubbed toe to a car accident will be more likely to occur if you aren’t aware of your surroundings. Obviously, you could wind up in the hospital due to this.
Risk of readmission increases
So why are those with neglected hearing loss more likely to be readmitted to the hospital? This occurs for a couple of reasons:
- When your doctors and nurses give you instructions you may not hear them very well because of your neglected hearing loss. For example, if you can’t understand what your physical therapist is telling you to do, you will be unable to do your physical therapy treatment as well as you otherwise would. Whether you’re still in the hospital or at home, your recovery period could be greatly increased.
- If you’re unable to hear your recovery instructions, you won’t know how to care for yourself as you recover at home. If you can’t hear the instructions (and particularly if you don’t know you aren’t hearing your instructions properly), you’re more likely to reinjure yourself.
Let’s say, for example, you’ve recently had surgery to replace your knee. Your surgeon may tell you not to shower for the next 3 weeks, but you hear 3 days instead. Now your wound is at risk of developing a severe infection (one that could put you back at the hospital).
Keeping track of your hearing aids
The solution may seem simple at first glimpse: just wear your hearing aids! Sadly, in the early phases of hearing loss, it frequently goes unnoticed because of how gradually it develops. The solution here is to schedule a hearing test with us.
Even after you’ve taken the measures and invested in a set of hearing aids, there’s still the chance you may lose them. It’s frequently a chaotic scene when you have to go in for a hospital stay. So the possibility of losing your hearing aid is absolutely present. Knowing how to deal with hearing aids during a hospital stay can help you remain involved in your care.
Tips for bringing your hearing aids with you during a hospital stay
Knowing how to get ready for a hospital stay when you’re dealing with hearing loss can avert lots of headaches (and other discomfort) in the future. There are some easy things you can do:
- Don’t forget your case. It’s really important to use a case for your hearing aids. They will be able to be better taken care of that way.
- Keep your eye on your battery’s charge. Bring spares if you need them and charge your hearing aids when you can.
- Whenever you can, use your hearing aids, and when you aren’t using them, make sure to keep them in the case.
- Communicate to hospital staff about your hearing loss. The more informed you are about your hearing loss, the less chance there is for a miscommunication to happen.
- Urge your loved ones to advocate on your behalf. You should always be advocating on your own behalf in a hospital setting.
Communication with the hospital at every stage is key here. Make sure you’re telling your nurses and doctors about your hearing loss.
Hearing loss can cause health issues
It’s important to understand that your hearing health and your overall health are closely related. After all, your hearing can have a considerable impact on your overall health. Hearing loss is like any other health problem in that it needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
The power to avoid Tom’s fate is in your hands. Keep your hearing aids close the next time you have to go in for a hospital stay.
