Link seen between clean ears, good health
Earwax poses unrecognized risks in long-term care
Of all the indignities that come with aging, excessive earwax may be the most insidious. Don’t laugh. That greasy, often gross, buildup occurs more often in older ears than those of the young, experts say. And when it goes unrecognized, it can pose serious problems, especially for the 2.2 million people who live in U.S. nursing homes and assisted living centers.
“The excessive amount (of earwax) can cause hearing loss or ringing in your ears. Some people experience vertigo, which increases the risk of falling,” said Jackie Clark, a board-certified audiologist who is president of the American Academy of Audiology. “Right now, we see some correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline.”
Earwax — which is not really wax at all, but a substance called cerumen that binds with dirt, dust and debris — is normally produced by the body as a way to clean and protect the ears. In most people, the self-cleaning process works fine.
But in others — including about 10 percent of young children, 20 percent of adults and more than 30 percent of elderly and developmentally disabled people — the wax collects to the point where it can completely block the ear canal.
Up to two-thirds of people in nursing homes may suffer from that condition, known as impaction.
In 2016, federal Medicare recipients logged nearly 1.7 million earwax removal services at a cost of more than $51 million, according to payment records analyzed by Kaiser Health News.
“In elderly patients, it’s fairly common,” said Dr. Seth Schwartz, a Seattle otolaryngologist who led the most recent update of the guidelines. “It seems like such a basic thing, but it’s one of the most common reasons people present for hearing-related problems.”
It’s so bad that Janie York, of Omaha, Neb., started Hear Now mobile hearing solutions, one of a growing number of businesses devoted to cleaning hearing aids and checking the ears of elderly people living in residential care settings.
“It’s epidemic,” said York, whose clients now include 10 local centers. “About 3 in 5 people I see have some degree of impaction and most are completely impacted.”
Julie Brown, assistant director of nursing in the memory support unit at SilverRidge Assisted Living in Gretna, Neb., said impacted earwax can be a particular problem for patients with dementia. It exacerbates hearing loss, which can impede communication and worsen aggression and other difficult behaviors.
Excessive earwax sends about 12 million people to see health workers every year, including about 8 million who require wax removal, according to the otolaryngology association.
That’s not counting the people who try DIY treatments to get rid of earwax, nearly all of which are frowned on by the professionals.
“People put everything in their ears: Q-tips, bobby pins, pencils, fingernails,” Schwartz said.