Example case 7 of 40
The hearing aid is missing
Support communication during assessment
Mr Scott, 86, cannot answer the assessment questions.
Click or tap each illustration to enlarge it. The commentary and text transcript follow below.
Read the text transcript
Page 1
Panel 1
Mr Scott, 86, cannot answer the assessment questions.
Doctor: Mr Scott, can you tell me the month?
Mr Scott: I can't hear you.
Panel 2
His hearing aid is in the bedside drawer, without a battery.
Nurse: Found it. Let me fit a fresh battery.
Panel 3
With sound restored, in a quiet room, they try again.
Nurse: Is that better? We will take our time.
Panel 4
Clearer answers help, but delirium still needs full assessment.
Doctor: Now we can assess properly and check for acute illness.
Commentary
Support hearing and communication during assessment. Clearer answers after replacing a hearing aid do not rule out delirium.
An anonymised composite case that does not describe one identifiable person and is not research evidence.