Caring For a Patient With Limited Hearing - MalaysiaPerspectives

Caring For a Patient With Limited Hearing

Joining locum, especially as a healthcare professional, has proved to empower nurses to advance their careers and discover new ways to care for patients outside of their routine. Learn how penjaga Collin’s encounter with his hearing-impaired Care Recipient in pioneered a major role in the development of his nursing profession.

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penjaga Spotlight: Collin Lim Jun Bin

The breadth and depth of a nursing career can be profoundly influenced by the setting the nurse chooses to practice in. For Collin, his career path was significantly changed once he discovered , and his experience here had allowed him to go beyond his regular day-to-day task at the hospital.

Continue reading to understand how Collin’s encounter with a Care Recipient with hearing-impairment taught him about his profession and how he grew to be the best nurse he could be!

Get to know Collin!

Meet Collin Lim, a recent nursing graduate whose life’s goal is to provide the finest possible care and be the best nurse he can be! His involvement in the six years of first-aid training throughout his middle school years granted him the potential to provide emergency treatment for the public, and that is how his career in healthcare began.

Soon after, his grandma underwent surgery and lost her independence in her movement. Collin was compelled to take on the role of caring for her as her eldest grandchild, which further fueled his interest in healthcare. Working with has helped him develop better communication skills and patience with the many clients he served, and given him the opportunity to expand his potential in the ever-changing nursing field.

How do you handle Care Recipients with hearing impairment and how has that helped you better your communication skills?

I came across one specific Care Recipient, a male 81-year-old retired government employee who was experiencing hearing-impairment together with hallucinations, amnesia, and Parkinson’s disease. Since his degree of movement was completely reliant on the caregiver, he needed someone to be with him during the day to feed him, take him to the bathroom, and provide some light exercises. Due to his hallucinations, he always thought that I’m trying to hurt him, hence why he was reluctant to put his guard down with the people around him. He refused to open his mouth when I try to feed him and got violent at times as a way to keep a barrier between me and him, so, in order to try to speak with him or get his cooperation, I generally converse in languages he knows along with hand signals to try to calm him down.

What was your approach in engaging with the Care Recipient when things get intense in order for you to complete your task?

What someone with hearing loss needs is courtesy, consideration and communication. Treat someone with a hearing loss as you yourself like to be treated.

Many people try to help by shouting and exaggerating the pronunciation of words. I realize it does not help. People who wear hearing aids can experience extreme discomfort if people shout at them. It is better to speak clearly, a little more loudly than usual and not too fast. Shouting and over-mouthing words will alter the lip pattern and speaking too slowly will destroy the natural rhythm of speech.

It depends on who you speak to determine whether you need to use full sentences or not; If it is someone you know well, you may be able to use phrases that are well-known to the both of you but otherwise, it is best to use full sentences rather than just short phrases as they are often easier to be understood.

For this Care Recipient of mine, I will try to take a step back, wait for the patient to calm down, and then try again. Considering that the patient has a sweet tooth and appreciates dessert, I would attempt to convince him to indulge himself with dessert after his meal – you can try to find something that the patient enjoys and persuade them into doing that with you later.

My learnings from my experience – give the seniors as much control as possible. As caregivers, we should involve the care recipients in the decision-making process. Ask questions such as, “What clothes would you like to wear today?” and “When would you like to take a walk?”

As the seniors become stronger, do not rush them into new activities as it takes time to regain strength. At times, the seniors may not want to do any new exercises, saying, “I can’t,” but what they really meant is, “I’m scared.” Hence, introduce new activities slowly and explain them in detail.

Was there a specific incident or memorable experience you had giving care to this specific Care Recipient?

The most difficult and unforgettable experience I had with the Care Recipient was changing his diapers. He would get aggressive every time I tried to change his diaper because he thought I was attempting to hurt him. He tried to punch me, kicked me, and yelled at me while I changed his diaper, and it was something I absolutely dreaded at first. But after a while, each time before I start, I would take a deep breath and exude both calmness and confidence before proceeding with the task. I sought to provide him with the sense of security he needs from me while holding his hand.

What are some of your advice or tips for penjaga out there who come across serving elderlies with hearing impairment (whether diagnosed or due to old age)?

It can be challenging and sometimes stressful for someone with hearing loss to interact with people normally. Age-related hearing loss in older adults frequently makes them feel lonely and may cause them to withdraw from social interactions, which can significantly lower their general quality of life.

Being extremely patient is the first crucial step. Subsequently, you must consider the patient’s perspective in addition to your own. If you get frustrated, empathize and take a moment to breathe deeply and imagine how difficult it must be for them. Remember that the person with hearing impairment wants to be able to listen, comprehend, and participate in the conversation as much as you do. There will inevitably be misunderstandings and unpleasant situations, but try to make things lighthearted and carry on with the conversation.

When conversing with someone who has hearing impairment, it’s important to remember they may not fully comprehend what you’ve said on the first try. You might need to repeat yourself and if they seem confused, don’t hesitate to ask if they’ve understood. Consider rephrasing what you’re trying to say if repeating yourself is not helpful. Try shortening and simplifying your question or statement and see if that helps. Your patience should come into play at this point.

How do you juggle your role/time between studying, working as a nurse/caregiver, while taking care of your loved ones?

As a student and caregiver, I have a lot of responsibilities to balance at once. Not only do you have to stay on top of your own work tasks and priorities, but you also have to spend time and energy juggling someone else’s needs. This is where good organizational skills come to play. Being organized helps you to plan out your time and day better. Here’s a tip every caregiver could benefit from– Use a notebook or an online version to capture your thoughts, notes, and chores. You won’t have to waste precious mental energy trying to recall everything because all the relevant information will be in one place. Start a new, dated page each day and you will see the differences it makes!

Other than that, you can manage your stress better and maintain the physical and mental stamina necessary to perform at your best by making time for yourself as well. When your job requires you to take care of others , it’s essential that you set aside time for yourself to relax and recuperate. Call your friends, engage in regular exercise, or start a new interest!

As a nursing graduate with the motivation to serve those in need, what are some of your personal goals as a nurse or anything specific you’d like to achieve with ?

I just want to work, learn, and have something to do in my own time. I have always wanted to try to continue to find new opportunities to develop my skills and advance my knowledge base. As a nursing student, I am quite familiar with the hospital surroundings and would like to learn more by listening to the doctor’s advice or consulting different types of patients, or even occasionally, if allowed, by looking at my patient’s treatments and happens to provide me with an opportunity to do that.

Healthcare is an ever-changing and evolving field. Even after your training, there are many opportunities to learn! provides that and makes lifelong learning more accessible for nurses. I am lucky to have found the opportunity to learn something new about nursing every day with and will continue to provide the best care to my Care Recipients.

-penjaga Collin

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