The spouse and immediate family of a patient who wears dentures or eyeglasses are also asked to read and become familiar with the information provided in this section.

Patients who choose to retain and use their dentures or eyeglasses also retain full responsibility for protecting them from damage and loss.

Oftentimes a patient’s valuable dentures or eyeglasses are damaged, misplaced, or lost. Investigation, in virtually every instance, confirms that the dentures or eyeglasses were either accidentally left on a food tray, were dropped into the bed linen, or possibly thrown into a wastebasket along with newspaper or tissue.

Nursing personnel cannot keep dentures or eyeglasses under constant surveillance, and dentures or eyeglasses retained by the patients are not considered to be in the hospital’s custody. For these reasons, the hospital assumes no responsibility for dentures or eyeglasses lost or damaged.

Suggestions for Protecting Dentures or Eyeglasses:

1. Whenever dentures are removed, they should be placed in a protective denture cup and the cup placed in the drawer of the patient’s bedside stand. These cups can be obtained from nursing personnel on divisions.
2. Never place dentures on food tray or bed. Dentures or a denture cup on a food tray can easily be hidden by a napkin and taken with other disposables to the trash.
3. Whenever eyeglasses are removed they should be placed in a protective eyeglass case labeled with the patient’s name. The eyeglass case should then be placed in the patient’s bedside stand.
4. Never place eyeglasses on food trays or the bed. Eyeglasses or their case on a food tray can easily be hidden by a napkin and taken with other disposables to the trash.
5. Relatives of patients may wish to assume custody of their dentures or eyeglasses during periods when the dentures and eyeglasses are not a necessity.

Caution: Denture wearers and/or eyeglass wearers retain full responsibility for protecting dentures or eyeglasses from damage or loss.