When you go to the hospital for a planned or unplanned visit, it will be a stressful time. Patients with hearing loss have additional worries over communication with the doctors, nurses and other staff.
Before you go into the hospital, plan ahead to make your stay a little more comfortable. Take a sign that says in big letters “I am hard of hearing, please face me when you speak” and hang the sign over your bed. Some people will also bring small stickers with the international symbol of the hearing impaired (shown above left)so that they can be placed on the chart, the ID bracelet and at the nurs- es’ station to remind the staff of the hearing impairment.
Depending upon your level of hearing loss, you may also want to take a pad of paper and pen to have the staff write instructions that are too difficult for you to hear.
Finally, hearing aids are often in jeop- ardy of loss or damage in the hospital. Be sure to take a hard plastic con- tainer with a lid and put your name on it. When the aids are not in your ears, put them in the case.
