When my mother was in hospital, there was no procedure for how staff dealt with mums hearing aids. Since temperatures are now taken in the ear, the staff need to remove hearing aids, however the hearing aid just gets put on the bed, in a pocket or on the bedside table. Seldom was any effort made to put the hearing aid back in and so I would visit Mum to find she could not hear anything being said to her.
Sometimes the hearing aids were on the floor, sometimes on the table and once one hearing aid vanished for 3 days before it was returned after being found in a staff member pocket after I made a fuss. Quite apart from the cost -£1700 for the pair, my concern is that because she could not hear, and staff made no extra effort to communicate, my mother was missing opportunities to answer questions about her care properly.
On one occasion she was asked if she wanted "anything for the pain" she nodded and smiled and tablets were offered. I asked her "what pain?". There was no pain, she had not heard what the question was and was "being nice".
Elderly people and people with hearing aids are not a rarity in hospitals and there should be proper procedures to handle hearing aids properly and to ensure that people can clearly hear and understand what is being asked of them.
"Care for elderly with hearing aids"
About: Croydon University Hospital / Older people's healthcare Croydon University Hospital Older people's healthcare CR7 7YE
Posted by Greiving Son (as ),
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