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What is earwax? Earwax is a substance produced by the body to clean, protect, and lubricate the ear. It is made up of dead skin cells, hair, and oils secreted by glands in the ear canal. While earwax is beneficial, too much of it can cause problems. impacted ear wax occurs when the earwax becomes too hard and dry, or is pushed deep into the ear canal. This can block the ear canal and cause pain, itching, and hearing loss.
Impacted ear wax is a common problem. It is more likely to occur in adults over the age of 60, children under the age of 2, people who wear hearing aids, and those who clean their ears frequently.
Earwax removal is a simple process that can be done at home or by a healthcare professional. impacted ear wax can be removed using a candle, ear drops, or irrigation. If the impacted ear wax does not respond to home treatment, you may need to see a healthcare professional for further treatment.
If you have impacted ear wax, it means that the ear wax has built up and hardened in your ear. This can cause problems with hearing, pain, and even infection. Impacted ear wax is more common in older adults, but anyone can get it. There are several ways to tell if you have impacted ear wax.
If you have impacted ear wax, you may notice that your hearing is muffled. You may also feel like your ear is full or plugged. You may also have pain in your ear, itchiness, or drainage. If you have any of these symptoms, you should see a doctor. They can safely remove the impacted ear wax and help you feel better.
Smelly earwax can be a sign of an infection. If you have smelly earwax, you should see a doctor. Yellow, brown, or bloody earwax can also be a sign of an infection. If you have this type of earwax, you should see an audiologist to have your ears checked.
Impacted ear wax usually does not go away on its own. In fact, if you leave impacted ear wax untreated, it can lead to more problems. impacted ear wax can cause hearing loss, pain, and even infection. If you think you have impacted ear wax, it’s highly recommended that you seek medical attention to ensure that your ears are clean and free of dirt and foreign objects.
An audiologist or healthcare professional will use a special instrument to remove the impacted ear wax. This is usually done in a doctor’s office or clinic. The procedure is quick and easy, and you should feel better right away.
A small, curved tool will be used to remove the impacted ear wax. This tool is called a curette. The curette will be inserted into the ear to gently scrape out the impacted ear wax. In some cases, suction may also be used to remove the ear wax. The whole process usually takes less than 15 minutes.
If you have impacted ear wax, it is important to see a healthcare professional for treatment. impacted ear wax can cause hearing loss, pain, and even infection. With proper treatment, you can remove the impacted ear wax, feel better, and hear better.
If you have any questions, please call Longmont Hearing & Tinnitus Center at 303-651-1178.
Did you know that nearly one-third of the population has difficulty swallowing pills? Most people dont swallow pills correctly. This often results in gagging, choking, and vomiting, which usually results in people not taking their medications at all, or not taking the recommended dosage, which then results in a need for later additional medical care.If you are caring for a senior who has trouble swallowing their pills, here are some medication tips and some good news. Researchers have found new techniques that make pill-popping easier, even for large pills.German researchers recently tested two methods of swallowing pills and found that 80% of the time these methods worked better than the normal way of taking a pill. The first is the pop-bottle method, and it makes tablets go down with ease. The second is the lean-forward technique, which sends capsules straight down the throat. Both have been rigorously tested by 151 volunteers who swallowed numerous dummy pills for the sake of science. And now they are being shared with the world via their publication in the Annals of Family Medicine.Read about each method so you can try it yourself or have the senior you are caring for try it. Just may make life a little easier for you both.
At least 42 percent of U.S. workers have been caregivers for aging loved ones in the last five years. In fact, most family caregivers work full or part-time while caring for their parent, spouse, aunt, uncle, or other loved one. Juggling Your Job and Caring for a Loved One The majority (68 percent) of family caregivers report making work accommodations because of caregiving duties, including: Arriving late/leaving early or taking time off Cutting back on work hours Changing jobs Stopping work entirely If this is you, you understand the challenge of juggling work and caregiving. Youll want to know that AARP is fighting for workplace flexibility, like family leave or paid or unpaid sick leave, to support family caregivers as they balance work and caregiving responsibilities. AARP is pushing for legislation that would: Let employees use their existing sick time to help care for a family member; or Give employees a few hours of unpaid time each year to help care for their loved ones; or Allow employees unpaid leave to take their loved ones to the doctor, in the same way 15 states allow employees to take unpaid time off to attend parent-teacher conferences and school events.
Many people with dementia lose their social filters and no longer understand what is or is not appropriate to say in public. They do not say embarrassing things intentionally but have indeed lost the lens they used to live with. You may have encountered situations like these: Person with Dementia upon hearing someone speaking a different language: Speak English! or they may use a racial slur to describe them.I have seen and heard many elders using racial references that were, to say the least, disrespectful. It doesnt necessarily mean the people are racist. Many of our elders grew up in much less diverse communities than we have today. They have simply lost whatever inhibitions they may have had. When they see someone of another ethnicity, they blurt out labels that they heard as youths, embarrassing everyone involved.How to respond: One of my clients used to make these remarks frequently. He also had travelled a lot. I would apologize calmly to the person and then begin talking about what language I thought they might be speaking and what country they might be from, asking my client if he had ever been there on his travels. This could lead him into a conversation about travel. If the person, he was making the remark about was on staff at the nursing home Id include them in the conversation.Person with Dementia, generally a man pinches a woman or otherwise acts out sexually: Nice butt!Stay calm and realize that this behavior is caused by the disease. Dementia has stripped your dad of his inhibitions and he really cant help it. Try not to overreact from embarrassment.How to respond: Calmly say, Thats inappropriate, Dad, or something to indicate that the action is not acceptable. It wont help to scold, however. Apologize to the person affected and then if possible, move your dad away. Explain to the person that dad has Alzheimers and his actions are the result of the disease. If you cant defuse the situation by moving him away, just allow the affected person to handle it. If it happens to a professional caregiver, they are trained to handle these situations.When these and other uncomfortable situations occur, we are embarrassed for ourselves and for the person our elder once was. Learning that we arent alone in enduring this public embarrassment helps, Talk with other caregivers, either in person or online, for perspective and the chance to laugh about these situations. When we share our stories with people who understand, our pain and embarrassment doesnt take on a life of its own. Try a caregiver forum, such as the one at AgingCare.com
Longmont Hearing and Tinnitus Center offers a wide variety of hearing healthcare services to help you hear better and hear for life.