Older patients arrive in hospital or clinic without their glasses or hearing aids more often than staff realise. Asking whether they use them, and making sure they are within reach, improves communication and assessment, and it helps with orientation if delirium risk is high.
- Ask whether the patient uses glasses or hearing aids.
- Make sure they are with the patient and working.
- Label them with the patient's name.
- Record sensory aids in the admission notes.
Why it matters
Missing sensory aids can make a patient look more confused than they are.
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