No matter how much you do, someone always thinks they know better. Mom had problems with both her hearing aids. With her dementia, she isn't even aware when one or the other isn't working or how well its working. We know something is wrong when we end up having to scream for her to hear us. Over a period of two weeks I made five 30 mile round trips, picking up one hearing aid, then the other, getting it cleaned, taking it back. Then finding out one was broken a day later, taking it to the store to have it sent to be repaired, bring it back to her, only to find out a day later that the other one wasn't working either. Back and forth, etc. So I encounter two of her friends in the hallway - and what do they do? They indignantly chastise me because I should be buying her new hearing aids like they have and I should be doing something to help her. Of course, they have no idea her dementia is so bad, she wouldn't be able to figure the new ones out - she can't work her own oven or dishwasher. A new $5000 set would be ruined by her because she NEVER cleans them, refuses to go down and have them cleaned when the lady comes to the facility. She loses the tools, peels the tabs off the batteries and puts them all together so the batteries are half dead when she uses them and half the time she puts the dead ones back with the new ones. But, no, its all my fault she can't hear! I had all I could do not to blow up and tell them to go "you know where", but they are old ladies and they stick together so I'm the bad guy@#!! I repeat, Mom needs to be in AL where there are people to monitor these things, but alas, she will never go until she falls and breaks something...............
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I don't know if sig other is becoming hearing challenged or if he just doesn't pay attention.... probably the latter..... if I was dressed in football gear or dribbling a basketball maybe then he will listen :P
I would advise any of you of two things (because hearing aids are so expensive). If your parent is mentally healthy, get good ones. If he/she has dementia, get cheaper ones that adjust automatically. (Mom had the others and she kept turning them up and down constantly) Also, get an extra warranty on them because after a year, if they break down the cost is hundreds of dollars to fix. And in the past five years, Mom has lost one or both at least three times. She refuses to put them in the box, just lays them on the dresser, or puts them on a kleenex and probably throws them away. Once I found one of the sets floating around in the back of her sock drawer.
As far as talking on the phone with hearing aids. One is supposed to hold the phone about an inch away from the earpiece - try telling that to a stubborn 90 year old who crams it against her ear so she gets feedback. Good luck everyone!
My Mom refuses to believe it is HER EARS that are no longer working, not her hearing aids. She still believes if she has her ears cleaned she could hear better. Mom also wanted that hearing aid that goes into the ear canal, but the doctor said two things why she wouldn't recommend the Lyric... one is that Mom's ears produce too much wax... and two, the Lyric are mainly for people who are just starting to lose their hearing.
Talking to Mom in person is a challenge, I hope when we are out and about people don't think I am YELLING at my Mom. I have to be a walking Thesaurus to come up with other words hoping my Mom will understand one of them, and at my age it is getting harder and harder to do, I can't think that quickly any more :(
And the telephone has becoming interesting, Mom thinks every time she gets on the phone she needs to hit the *boost* button to raise the volume, 90% of the time she hits something else and we get disconnected :P
Are we having fun yet?
Still people say that I ought to see about getting hearing aids for them. Their words fall on my own deaf ears. I know one thing that most aren't aware of -- half of her hearing problem is from processing the words. I often say things three times -- once to get her attention, once for her to hear, and a third time for her to understand what I'm saying. It gets old, but it is just the way it is.
Next time the ladies gang up on you, enlist them to help if you can -- and if they will. Let them know she needs reminders (if you dare) and that sometimes her batteries aren't working.
I sympathize. Can't shoot 'em, though. ;) ;)