Tom is getting a brand new knee and he’s super pumped! Look, as you age, the kinds of things you look forward to change. His knee replacement means he will experience less pain and be able to get out and about a lot better. So the surgery is a success and Tom heads home.
That’s when things go wrong.
The knee doesn’t heal as well as it should. Tom ends up back in the hospital with an infection and will need another surgery. It’s becoming less thrilling for Tom by the minute. As the doctors and nurses try to figure out what happened, it becomes clear that Tom wasn’t adhering to his recovery instructions.
So here’s the thing: it isn’t that Tom didn’t want to observe those recovery guidelines. Tom actually never even heard the instructions. It just so happens that there is a strong connection between hospital visits and hearing loss, so Tom isn’t by himself.
More hospital visits can be the consequence of hearing loss
At this point, you’re most likely familiar with the common drawbacks of hearing loss: you tend to socially separate yourself, causing you to become more removed from friends and family, and you increase your danger of developing cognitive decline. But we’re finally starting to understand some of the less obvious disadvantages to hearing loss.
One of those relationships that’s becoming more apparent is that hearing loss can result in an increase in emergency room visits. People who suffer from untreated hearing loss have a greater danger of going to the emergency room by 17% and will be 44% more likely to have to be readmitted later on, as reported by one study.
What’s the link?
This could be the case for a couple of reasons.
- Your situational awareness can be impacted negatively by untreated hearing loss. If you aren’t aware of your surroundings, you may be more likely to get into a car accident or stub your toe. These types of injuries can, of course, send you to the hospital (if you stub your toe hard enough).
- Once you’re in the hospital, your likelihood of readmission goes up significantly. Readmission happens when you are released from the hospital, spend some time at home, and then need to go back to the hospital. Complications sometimes occur that result in this readmission. In other instances, readmission might result from a new problem, or because the original issue wasn’t properly addressed.
Increased chances of readmission
So why are people with neglected hearing loss more likely to be readmitted to the hospital? This occurs for a couple of reasons:
- If you have untreated hearing loss, you might not be able to hear the instructions that your doctors and nurses give you. For example, if you can’t hear what your physical therapist is telling you to do, you won’t be able to do your physical therapy treatment as well as you otherwise might. Whether you’re still in the hospital or at home, your recovery period could be greatly increased.
- If you can’t hear your recovery directions, you won’t know how to care for yourself as you continue recovering at home. You have a higher chance of reinjuring yourself if you’re not even aware that you didn’t hear the instructions.
For instance, let’s pretend you’ve recently undergone knee replacement surgery. Your surgeon may tell you not to shower for the next 3 weeks, but you hear 3 days instead. Now your wound is in danger of developing a serious infection (one that could put you back at the hospital).
Keeping track of your hearing aids
At first glimpse, the answer here may seem basic: just wear your hearing aids! Sadly, in the early stages of hearing loss, it frequently goes undetected because of how slowly it advances. The solution here is to make an appointment for a hearing exam with us.
Even if you do have a pair of hearing aids (and you should), there’s another situation: you might lose them. It’s often a chaotic scene when you need to go in for a hospital stay. So the possibility of losing your hearing aid is absolutely present. You will be better able to remain engaged in your care when you’re in the hospital if you know how to deal with your hearing aid.
Tips for bringing your hearing aids with you during a hospital stay
Knowing how to get ready for a hospital stay when you have hearing loss can avert lots of headaches (and other discomfort) in the future. Here are a number of basic things you can do:
- In a hospital setting, you should always advocate for yourself and ask your loved ones to advocate for you.
- Communicate to hospital staff about your hearing loss. The more educated you are about your hearing loss, the less chance there is for a miscommunication to happen.
- Wear your hearing aids when you can, and when you aren’t using them, make sure to keep them in the case.
- Be mindful of your battery power. Keep your hearing aid charged and bring spares if needed.
- Take your case with you. It’s really important to use a case for your hearing aids. This will make them a lot easier to keep track of.
The key here is to communicate with the hospital at every phase. Be sure you’re telling your nurses and physicians about your hearing loss.
Hearing loss can cause health issues
So perhaps it’s time to stop thinking of hearing health and your overall wellness as two totally different things. After all, your hearing can have a substantial impact on your general health. In a lot of ways, hearing loss is no different than a broken arm, in that each of these health problems calls for prompt treatment in order to avoid possible complications.
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.
