Care of a patient with hearing deficit

• How to look in ear for adults?

• Up and back for adults

• Why are children more prone for ear infections?

• There eustachian tube is more flat in children

• What are ways to assess hearing?

• voice /whisper test

• Watch test

• Audioscopy

• Tuning fork tests

• What are the weber tests?

• It is at midline of head

• Test for equal sound in both ears

What is the rinne test?

• First mastoid bone

• Then beside ear

• Air conduction(AC)>Bone conduction (BC) equals normal

• What are older adult considerations with the ears?

• Loss of elasticity and subcutaneous tissue

  • Pinna elongate

  • Tympanic membrane becomes dull

  • Hair in canal becomes coarser

  • Cerumen becomes drier

  • Hearing acuity decreases

  • Ability to hear high frequency decreases

• What is conductive hearing loss?

• Mechanical type of hearing loss

• Structural change

• Usually not permanent

• What can cause conductive hearing loss?

• Cerumen build up foreign body

• Tympanic membrane perforation

• Otitis externa or media

• What assessments do you use for conductive hearing loss?

• Otoscope

• Rinne test

• Weber test

• What is sensorineural hearing loss?

• inner ear problems

• things you can't change

• often permanent damage

• What causes sensorineural hearing loss?

• Presbycusis

  • Degeneration of cochlear nerve cells/loss of elasticity)

• Ototoxic medications

• Diabetes mellitus

• Infection

• What manifestations of sensorineural hearing loss

• Normal exterior appearance

• Tinnitus

• Dizziness

• Rinne test

• Weber test

• What are the interventions for hearing loss?

• Early detection

• Safety  measures for hearing loss

• Assistive devices

• Medication

• Hearing aids

• Implants

• Surgery

• Facilitate communication

• Reduce anxiety

• If you have surgery for hearing loss what does recovery look like for the first 2-3 weeks?

• Avoid 

  • Bowel movements straining

  • Drinking through straw

  • Air travel

  • Excessive coughing

  • People with infections

  • Getting head wet in shower

  • Rapid movement of head

• Blow nose gently

• Use waterproof earplug in shower

• Change dressing every 24 hours

• Report excessive draining

• Best considerations for clients with hearing loss?

• Reduce background noise 

• Face them

• Reduce sounds

• Make sure face matches words

• What is tinnitus?

• Continuous ringing in the ear

• Can be one or both ears

• Diagnostic testing cannot confirm

• What are the factors of tinnitus?

• Sclerosis of ossicles

• Meniere disease

• Ototoxic drugs

• Lud nose exposure

• What are the interventions for tinnitus?

• Treat underlying cause

• Therapy to mask sounds

• Earmold hearing aids