Nursing Homes and Hearing Aids: Everything You Need to Know
As one gets older, the quality of life that person experiences becomes more and more important. To this end, nursing homes allow for a staff of caregivers to attend to elderly residents when their family cannot take up such a responsibility.
Despite this, it is easy for common issues like hearing a loss to be left by the wayside in nursing homes. If an elderly loved one is dealing with hearing issues, here is an overview of things to keep in mind if a nursing home is your best choice for long-term healthcare.
The Education Level Of The Nurses
The education of a nurse is ongoing, so you should ask about the continued education of nurses in the nursing home that you are considering. Nursing schools can be very demanding of their students, and it should be made clear that many nurses are competent professionals.
Every year, a nurse must complete an assessment to prove that they are capable of meeting the standards that are required of them. An education through an RN-BSN program is a good sign to watch out for as well since it likely means that they aim to go beyond the baseline of what is required of them. In general, though, a nurse who is genuinely concerned about those under his or her care is likely to be effective.
Access To Hearing-Related Needs
Hearing aids, like any other kind of technological convenience, can fail if they are not maintained properly so it may also be worthwhile to go over the basics of maintaining them. Ideally, you should discuss the matter with an audiologist so you are certain that the hearing aids in question are in working order.
In general, though, daily maintenance of hearing aids should include checking for feedback, cleaning, and battery replacement. Making sure the hearing aids remain dry is important as well, which can be a challenge if they are not stored properly when they are not being used. Additional safety measures to help keep the hearing aids from getting lost may also be helpful so they are not accidentally damaged or disposed of.
Building a daily routine is the best way to keep track of them, but labeling hearing aids with a name or storing them in a brightly colored container are great places to start in this regard as well.
Hearing loss is a common problem for residents of nursing homes, so making sure your loved one is using the hearing aids that are appropriate for them is important. There are different kinds of hearing aids, and they all have their pros and cons.
A hearing aid is both less visible and less susceptible to interference from “wind noise” the farther inside the ear it is placed, but such hearing aids can easily be clogged with earwax. A “behind-the-ear” hearing aid, on the other hand, can provide greater amplification than other hearing aids. Additional concerns like product longevity and adaptability are relevant as well, so it should again be stressed that you should consult a medical professional on the details of your hearing aids and how they meet the needs of your loved one.
The Overall Quality Of Care
A nursing home is usually staffed with nurses that are capable of attending to the needs of that home’s residents. Still, you should make sure to do your due diligence when deciding on a nursing home.
Continued interaction and care from a loved one should never be out of the question, and it may become necessary at some point to step in and fix a problem if the nursing home’s staff make an honest mistake. One of the most important things you can do for a loved one is to remain in their life, no matter where they live.