Importance of Dedicated Hearing Care
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8 Hearing Aid Tips for Hospital Stays
Checking into a hospital can seem a little stressful, making it all the more important to feel empowered, alert, and engaged with the help of your hearing aids. Help protect them during your inpatient visit with these handy tips.
It can be easy to lose track of your hearing aids when getting inpatient care at a busy medical facility, so we're sharing eight tips to help you protect your tech and continue hearing your best.
- Use a Container: Keep a personally labeled container on the nightstand for your hearing aids when not in use. And remember: Hearing-aid dryers and dehumidifiers can double as storage, too!
- Bypass the Food Tray: It might seem convenient to set your hearing devices on your food tray, but they can get damaged or lost that way. Better to keep them in their designated container.
- Take Them Out: If staff comes to change the bedsheets and you're unable to get out of bed, remove your hearing devices so they don't fall off in the linens and get discarded.
- Skip the Pockets: Pockets seem naturally convenient for storing hearing aids, but not so fast! Your devices could become forgotten there and end up being tossed into the washing machine and damaged.
- Give the Batteries a Break: Remember at night to remove the batteries from your hearing devices and leave the battery door open, helping reduce moisture and maximize battery life.
- Enlist Family Support: Consider not keeping your hearing aids with you and instead having friends or family bring them when coming to visit, if that's feasible.
- Share Your Concerns: Make sure your medical team is aware if you have a significant hearing loss, and tell your doctor if you're concerned about being able to hear just before surgery or in recovery.
- Think Ahead: Inpatient facilities typically don't assume responsibility for lost hearing aids, glasses, or dentures, so provide a checklist to loved ones who can help you keep these critical items safe and sound.
