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Home safety tips for people with hearing loss
Older adults who don’t hear well have a higher risk of falling at home. And it may be harder to hear smoke alarms and weather alerts too. Help protect yourself with this simple plan.
We like to think of our homes as safe havens. But they can be hazardous too, especially for older adults. Each year, almost 3 million adults older than age 65 end up in the emergency room due to product-related injuries (including falls and other accidents), according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.1
Those odds only go up if you have trouble hearing. Older adults with hearing loss are 2.4 times more likely to fall than those who hear well.2 But falling is just one danger. Not being able to hear the smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm is another, notes Rachel Sours. She’s a hearing aid specialist at Willoughby Hearing in North Plains, Oregon.
Another safety issue for people with hearing loss? “They may not be able to hear people approaching the front door or ringing the doorbell,” says Sours. Or know when to stay inside when they can’t hear weather warnings.
To help keep yourself or a loved one with hearing loss safe, follow these tips.
Upgrade smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
You likely have smoke detectors in your home. You may also have alarms installed on your stove in case you leave the oven or gas on. But they won't be much help if you can’t hear them when they go off. And that can be dangerous. Getting caught unaware by a fire is another big risk for older adults.1
Stay-safe move: Get alarms that use strobe lights or extra-loud sounds when they detect smoke or carbon monoxide in the house. These can be hardwired by an electrician or plugged in by you or a family member.3, 4 (Don’t forget to change the batteries when they need replacing.) Check with your hearing care professional for help finding the right devices for your needs.
Think you might need to get your hearing checked? AARP® members can request a hearing exam and consultation without a referral through AARP® Hearing Solutions™ provided by UnitedHealthcare Hearing.
Have a dedicated weather radio on hand
Weather radios are essential for staying up to date on warnings about severe storms and tornadoes. The National Weather Service recommends that everyone has them, even people with hearing loss.5
Stay-safe move: Weather radios come with attachments that can shake the bed or set off flashing lights when there’s a warning for your area. They also come with text displays. That way, you can see exactly what type of weather system is headed your way, day or night.
Be aware of who’s at the front door
Break-ins and property theft are also more common among older adults.6 So, it’s important to know who’s approaching your home, whether they ring the bell or not.
Stay-safe move: Getting a security system with a camera can be a good idea. And many of these come with doorbells and apps to download on your phone.
If you or your loved ones wear hearing aids that connect to Bluetooth, you’ll be able to use the app to talk to and hear the person through your hearing aid, notes Sours. If not, there are special doorbells with flashing lights or ones that activate pagers that vibrate.4
Get special phones or chargers
Whether you have a landline or a cell phone, there are multiple ways to help make sure you don’t miss important calls.
- Caption phones: “These phones are specifically made for those with hearing loss,” says Sours. “They are louder than the average home line. They’ll also write out what someone is saying, including voicemails.”
Caption phones are especially good for people who aren’t as tech-savvy or don’t have a smartphone. Better still, there are funds available in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and other territories, that provide the phones at no cost for people with hearing loss or who are deaf.7
With a caption phone, you or your loved ones can stay in touch with family and friends. And that’s important, says Sours. “Isolation is still a risk factor, so it’s not just physical harm but also harm from isolation,” she explains. That can include depression and anxiety.
- Special cell phone chargers: These smartphone chargers do double duty. They charge your phone — but they also amplify the sound so you can hear the ringer even when you’ve taken off your hearing aids for the night, notes Sours.
They also light up when a text or video call comes in. You can also buy an attachment that will shake the bed in case you don’t want to miss a call while you sleep.
Fall-proof your home
Even mild hearing loss triples your risk of falling, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.8 “Our balance system and our auditory system are very interconnected,” explains Sours.
There are a few theories about why the risk of falling goes up with hearing loss. One of them: You may lose spatial awareness, or directionality, notes Sours.
“That means being aware of where certain things are coming from. So, you might think something is to the right when it’s to the left and misplace your feet,” she says.
Your brain plays a role too. Because you are spending more brain power trying to hear and understand sounds, there are fewer resources to devote to keeping your balance or walking correctly.8
To minimize the chances of taking a tumble:9
- Clear out the clutter so you have fewer chances to trip over something.
- Light up hallways, entrances and your path to the bathroom to see where you’re going.
- Install handrails on both sides of the stairs as well as grab bars in bathrooms. Consider putting a grab bar by the front door if you feel unsteady when you lock or unlock it.
- Put away small throw rugs, and secure larger rugs and carpets.
- Place everyday pots, pans and dishware in cabinets you can reach, to avoid having to climb on a chair or stool to get them.
- Make sure your walkway and steps to your home are in good repair so you don’t stumble over uneven surfaces.
Another great way to lower the chances of falling? Wear your hearing aids regularly. One study found that wearing them consistently cuts the risk of falling in half.2 If you’re not sure you need them, it may be time to get your ears checked by a hearing care professional. They can test your hearing and then suggest the right kind of hearing aids for you. That way, they can help you stay safer at home and when you’re out and about.
If you’re a member of AARP, you get up to 3 follow-up visits at no extra cost and a trial period to try out your new prescription hearing aids. Learn more.
Sources
- Older Americans are more likely to suffer fatalities from falls and fire; CPSC report highlights hidden hazards around the home U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. March 7, 2022.
- Consistent hearing aid use is associated with lower fall prevalence and risk in older adults with hearing loss Journal of the American Geriatric Society. October 2022.
- Alerting devices Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services: Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing State Services Division. Accessed August 19, 2024.
- Hearing loss home modification check list Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services: Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing State Services Division. Accessed August 19, 2024.
- Weather safety information for deaf and hard of hearing National Weather Service. Accessed August 19, 2024.
- Home safety for older adults: a comprehensive guide 2024 National Council on Aging. August 30, 2023.
- Telecommunications relay services (TRS) Federal Communications Commission. Last updated March 20, 2024.
- Hearing loss and the increased risk of falls ASHA Leader Live. March 1, 2019.
- Preventing falls at home: room by room National Institute on Aging. Last reviewed September 12, 2022.
Information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a licensed medical provider. Consult your provider prior to making changes to your lifestyle or health care routine.
AARP Hearing Solutions is available to all AARP members and does not require a health insurance plan from UnitedHealthcare. The AARP hearing program discount cannot be combined with any other discounts, promotions, coupons or hearing aid benefit plans unless noted herein. Products or services that are reimbursable by federal programs including Medicare and Medicaid are not available on a discounted or complimentary basis. AARP commercial member benefits are provided by third parties, not by AARP or its affiliates. Providers pay a royalty fee to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. Some provider offers are subject to change and may have restrictions. Please contact the provider directly for details. UnitedHealthcare Hearing is provided through UnitedHealthcare, offered to existing members of certain products underwritten or provided by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates to provide specific hearing aid discounts. This is not an insurance nor managed care product, and fees or charges for services in excess of those defined in program materials are the member's responsibility. UnitedHealthcare does not endorse nor guarantee hearing aid products/services available through the hearing program. This program may not be available in all states or for all group sizes. Components subject to change.
Hearing aids purchased in the Silver technology level will receive 1 follow-up visit.
