Sensory: Caring for hearing aids

Some of your clients might have a hearing impairment, usually related to long term exposure to noise; infections and disorders; some drugs; genetics; or simply their age.

Some of these clients will use hearing aids to improve their hearing. Now, hearing aids don’t reverse hearing loss or address the cause, but they can improve an individual’s hearing comprehension by amplifying the sound or by making it louder.

Traditional hearing aids amplify all sound: speech and background noise (like traffic, background music, and other people talking).

This can be really distracting. Modern programmable hearing aids have a microchip that analyzes the sound and removes background noise.

The hearing aids can also have different programs for different environments like a restaurant, library, park, and so on.There are many different types of hearing aids such as behind the ear, in the outer ear, in-canal, bone-anchored, or attached to glasses.

All hearing aids have the same basic parts: a microphone that receives sounds and converts them into electrical signals; an amplifier that increases the power of these electrical signals; a receiver that converts the electrical signals back into sound; and batteries.When caring for clients with hearing aids, there are a few things to remember: Clean the hearing aids daily following manufacturers’ instructions and avoid alcohol wipes; don’t use any hair products or wet the hair of a client while they are wearing their hearing aids; when they are not being used, store hearing aids in a container labeled with the client’s name and room number; keep the hearing aids at room temperature away from heat and moisture; and make sure that there are spare batteries available and replace dead batteries right away.

Remember that without their hearing aids, your client might be unable to hear and understand what’s going on in their environment.When caring for clients’ hearing aids, you will need gloves, a towel, a washcloth, facial tissues, soft brush, and a container for the devices.

First, to remove the hearing aid, have the client lie on their side or sit with their head turned, so their ear with a hearing aid is facing you.

Place a towel under their ear. Turn the volume off.

Gently pull the client’s ear up, and remove the hearing aid. Hold them so the ear pieces are facing down and any ear wax can fall out.

Wipe it with a tissue and clean all openings with a soft brush or the cleaning devices that came with the hearing aid. Inspect the hearing aid for damage.

Open the battery door. Place the hearing aid in a labeled container and let dry.

Observe the ear for tenderness, redness, odor, and discharge. Clean the ear canal with a moist washcloth.

If the client doesn’t want to use the hearing aid, remove the battery and place the aid in a labeled container. Before inserting the hearing aid back into the ear, put the batteries back.

Check that the aid is turned off with the volume down. Inspect the client’s ear canal for excessive ear wax and clean with a moist washcloth, if needed.

Have the client insert the hearing aid if they are able to. If not, gently insert the pointed end of the aid into the ear canal.

You might need to adjust the position of the device so it’s comfortable and secure. Adjust the volume or have the client adjust it.Pay close attention to the client’s ear and ear canal during the procedure.

If there are any signs of injury or infection—like tenderness, redness, odor, and discharge—or if they report any sudden changes in hearing, inform the nurse immediately.

Be sure to document information about the removal of the hearing aids like the date and time, storage location, if the family takes the aid home, and any observations and information reported to the nurse.All right, as a quick recap… Some of your clients might have a hearing impairment and use a hearing aid.

When caring for their hearing aids, remember to clean them daily, store properly, and make sure they don’t get damaged or lost.

After the procedure, remember to report any unusual signs or symptoms to the nurse, and document your observations.