Tom is excited, he’s getting a new knee! Hey, the things you look forward to change as you get older. His knee replacement means he will feel less pain and be able to get around a lot better. So the surgery is a success and Tom goes home.
That’s when things go wrong.
Sadly, the healing process doesn’t go as it should. Tom ends up back in the hospital with an infection and will require another surgery. Tom is not as excited by this point. As the doctors and nurses try to determine what occurred, it becomes evident that Tom wasn’t adhering to his recovery guidelines.
So here’s the thing: it’s not that Tom didn’t want to observe those recovery instructions. Tom actually never even heard the instructions. Tom can feel a little better in the fact that he isn’t alone: there’s a strong connection between hospital visits and hearing loss.
Hearing loss can contribute to more hospital visits
At this point, you’re probably familiar with the typical drawbacks of hearing loss: you grow more distant from your loved ones, you increase your risk of social separation, and have an increased risk of getting cognitive decline. But we’re finally beginning to understand some of the less evident disadvantages to hearing loss.
One of those relationships that’s becoming more clear is that hearing loss can result in an increase in emergency room trips. People who struggle with neglected hearing loss have a greater danger of going to the emergency room by 17% and will be 44% more likely to need to be readmitted later, according to one study.
Is there a connection?
There are a couple of reasons why this might be.
- Your situational awareness can be impacted negatively by untreated hearing loss. If you aren’t aware of your surroundings, you might be more likely to get into a car accident or stub your toe. Of course, you could wind up in the hospital because of this.
- Your possibility of readmission considerably increases once you’re in the hospital. Readmission happens when you’re released from the hospital, spend some time at home, and then need to go back to the hospital. Complications sometimes happen that result in this readmission. In other instances, readmission may be the outcome of a new problem, or because the initial problem wasn’t addressed correctly.
Chances of readmission increases
So why are people with neglected hearing loss more likely to be readmitted to the hospital? This happens for a couple of reasons:
- When your doctors and nurses give you guidelines you may not hear them very well because of your untreated hearing loss. You won’t be able to properly do your physical therapy, for instance, if you fail to hear the guidelines from your physical therapist. Whether you’re still in the hospital or at home, your recovery period could be greatly increased.
- Taking care of yourself after you get home will be nearly impossible if you don’t hear the guidelines. You have a higher chance of reinjuring yourself if you’re not even aware that you didn’t hear the instructions.
Let’s say, for example, you’ve recently undergone surgery to replace your knee. Your surgeon may tell you not to take a 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 land you back at the hospital).
Keeping track of your hearing aids
At first glance, the solution here may seem basic: just wear your hearing aids! Sadly, in the early stages of hearing loss, it often goes undetected because of how slowly it advances. The solution here is to schedule a hearing test with us.
Even after you’ve taken the steps and invested in a set of hearing aids, there’s still the possibility of losing them. It’s often a chaotic scene when you need to go in for a hospital stay. So the probability of losing your hearing aid is definitely present. Knowing how to handle hearing aids during a hospital stay can help you remain engaged in your care.
Tips for getting prepared for a hospital stay when you have hearing loss
Knowing how to prepare for a hospital stay when you’re dealing with hearing loss can prevent lots of headaches (and other discomfort) in the future. Here are a few basic things you can do:
- Bring your case with you. It’s very important to have a case for your hearing aids. They will be able to be better taken care of that way.
- Be aware of your battery power. Keep your hearing aid charged and bring spares if needed.
- Urge your loved ones to advocate on your behalf. You should always be advocating on your own behalf in a hospital setting.
- Communicate to hospital staff about your hearing loss. The more informed you are about your hearing loss, the less likelihood there is for a miscommunication to occur.
- Whenever you can, use your hearing aids, and put them in their case when you’re not wearing them.
The trick here is to communicate with the hospital at every stage. Your doctors and nurses should be told about your hearing loss.
Hearing loss can cause health issues
It’s important to recognize that your hearing health and your general health are closely related. After all, your hearing can have a considerable impact on your overall health. Hearing loss is like any other health issue in that it needs to be addressed right away.
The ability to avoid Tom’s fate is in your hands. Keep your hearing aids close the next time you need to go in for a hospital stay.
