My 93 year old mother lives in a supportive living facility. She has dementia but has been doing fairly well. Normally, I replace the batteries in hearing aids or she asks the nurse. She seems to have forgotten to do this and broke both hearing aids trying to replace the batteries on her own. One is repairable... one is not. I see she is continuing to play with the one that is still work and I am hesitant to replace them as I think she's just going to break them again. They cost $1,000 each and she isn't financially able to cover the cost. Any recommendations for a less expensive alternative (device, manufacturer, etc.) would be appreciated. Thank you.
2 - I would think the hearing loss to some who is used to hearing might mean less brain activity thence tipping the balance into dementia but I would think that both ears would need some loss -
I'm not a medical person but that makes sense to me maybe some knows more info & can please post it
I would like to ask a question of aphoenix please. I would like to know why it would be that if you do not treat hearing loss, that would lead to dementia? I never heard about this before and my husband has quite bad hearing loss in one ear and it is not treated so far.
Many thanks.
I bought 2 of those for my grandmother and for all I know, they're fancy versions of the super cheapie kind you can find in many mail order catalogs full of senior stuff, and not really that much better. I bought both kinds and tried them on myself, just to hear what it sounded like, before cutting to fit for my grandmother. They did help. Since I don't have significant hearing loss, one hearing aid sounded much like the other to me, the $300/set sounded similar to $40/set.
Both were over/behind the ear types. I can't remember if both were cut-to-fit tubing or just the MD ones.
1 - less than $300 at 1 -800-409-6503 or GetMDHearingAid use offer code DB89 they say free batteries for a year - supposed to be invisible
2 - $179 each when buying pair at 1 -888-291-3810 or AdvancedHearing.com/D73 use coupon code D73 - these are rechargeable - behind ear with little tube coming into ear with a small earpiece
I don't have any actual knowledge of these companies but they might be a good starting spot - good luck & let us know if they work out for you
I understand the frustration with the batteries, however hearing is incredibly complicated to treat. Prior to becoming a hearing specialist, and as a person who is half-deaf and just wanted to hear better, I had no idea. If people wouldn't mind wearing around giant headphones all the time, we could fit nice big batteries and have all the processing power we wanted to make many hearing wishes come true. Unfortunately, due to stigma and the desire to not appear different, people insist that hearing aids be invisible by fitting all inside the ear or around somehow hidden by the ear so that we don't have to stick out (as if people don't notice when we don't hear well :sigh:). Due to the size constraints, and the power constraints due to the teensy tiny batteries that it takes to run the processors, we haven't been able to solve all the world's hearing problems yet. Rest assured, there is a TON of research going on every day to try and solve these problems because people want to hear and they want to hear well.
I can tell you from experience, the last decade has brought amazing strides in better hearing... but it comes at a cost. The market is relatively small, especially if you compare to things like computers or cell phones that sell millions of exactly the same unit off the shelf. Furthermore, you have to consider that no two people have the same ear canals or hearing abilities or lifestyle considerations. Given that this is a medical device that you are supposed to wear all day long, getting it customized to make sure it works is extremely important. They can't just make a million of the same thing and expect to make everyone happy - has to be individual. Ear trumpets went the way of the dinosaur because they were of extremely limited help.
Anyway, to sum up (because i could seriously go on about hearing related stuff all day - I'm sure you couldn't tell) if your family member can't handle batteries, ask your hearing healthcare provider about rechargeable options and eliminate the hassle of batteries. These can be made suitable for most hearing losses. Hope this is helpful info for you. :-)
Mom was in her mid 90's when we realized she was no longer capable of managing the batteries or caring for the hearing aids herself. Up until then, she understood their importance and relied on them, cared for them. Then, like freqflyer, we began to find dozens of little batteries all around Mom's apartment, in her purse, in drawers, etc. She peeled the tabs off them and dumped them all in a box, then put used ones in there too. Every 6 months one would break down because ear wax would corrode it. We replaced at least 5 lost aids in a 3 year period. It broke our hearts to watch her slowly lose contact with people because she couldn't communicate with them. It made her dementia worse. She would sit at the lunch table and watch her friends, and would laugh when they did - but had no clue what was going on.
I think she would have done much better with a big amplifier she could hold in her hand or even an ear trumpet (think more manual control for the non tech generation especially with dementia!) When her hearing got really bad they upgraded her from the in the ear, finger controllable ones to the behind the ear with the little tube and plug in the ear that automatically adjusted for her. It totally confused and freaked her out - even though she could hear better, she could not adjust to the change and she was always frustrated.
Depending on the level of dementia, replacing hearing aids over and over might not be the answer. If we had it to do over, we would look for the simplest solution, like something handheld if its out there. Once Mom's dementia got bad, we wasted thousands of dollars trying to help her by buying the best, expensive high tech aids but she did not have the level of understanding needed to know how to use them and care for them.
I don't have hearing aids (yet) so I can't say for myself, but my husband has the high tech ones, and he claims it is not comfortable to have something in your ears, even though it helps you hear. He and many of my friends who have aids rarely use them.
Seniors with dementia could be unconsciously reacting to the discomfort of something in their ears once they can no longer comprehend the necessity and reason they are there?
Mom was in her mid 90's when we realized she was no longer capable of managing the batteries or caring for the hearing aids herself. Up until then, she understood their importance and relied on them, cared for them. Then, like freqflyer, we began to find dozens of little batteries all around Mom's apartment, in her purse, in drawers, etc. She peeled the tabs off them and dumped them all in a box, then put used ones in there too. Every 6 months one would break down because ear wax would corrode it. We replaced at least 5 lost aids in a 3 year period. It broke our hearts to watch her slowly lose contact with people because she couldn't communicate with them. It made her dementia worse. She would sit at the lunch table and watch her friends, and would laugh when they did - but had no clue what was going on.
I think she would have done much better with a big amplifier she could hold in her hand or even an ear trumpet (think more manual control for the non tech generation especially with dementia!) When her hearing got really bad they upgraded her from the in the ear, finger controllable ones to the behind the ear with the little tube and plug in the ear that automatically adjusted for her. It totally confused and freaked her out - even though she could hear better, she could not adjust to the change and she was always frustrated.
Depending on the level of dementia, replacing hearing aids over and over might not be the answer. If we had it to do over, we would look for the simplest solution, like something handheld if its out there. Once Mom's dementia got bad, it was a waste of money to buy the most expensive high tech aids because there is a level of understanding needed to know how to use them and care for them.
I don't have hearing aids (yet) so I can't say for myself, but my husband now has the high tech ones, and he claims it is not comfortable to have something in your ears, even though it helps you hear. He and many of my friends who have aids rarely use them.
Seniors with dementia maybe are unconsciously reacting to the discomfort of something in their ears once they can no longer comprehend the necessity and reason they are there?
Mom was in her mid 90's when we realized she was no longer capable of managing the batteries or caring for the hearing aids herself. Up until then, she understood their importance and relied on them, cared for them. Then, like freqflyer, we began to find dozens of little batteries all around Mom's apartment, in her purse, in drawers, etc. She peeled the tabs off them and dumped them all in a box, then put used ones in there too. Every 6 months one would break down because ear wax would corrode it. We replaced at least 5 lost aids in a 3 year period. It broke our hearts to watch her slowly lose contact with people because she couldn't communicate with them. It made her dementia worse. She would sit at the lunch table and watch her friends, and would laugh when they did - but had no clue what was going on.
I think she would have done much better with a big amplifier she could hold in her hand or even an ear trumpet (think more manual control for the non tech generation especially with dementia!) When her hearing got really bad they upgraded her from the in the ear, finger controllable ones to the behind the ear with the little tube and plug in the ear that automatically adjusted for her. It totally confused and freaked her out - even though she could hear better, she could not adjust to the change and she was always frustrated.
Depending on the level of dementia, replacing hearing aids over and over might not be the answer. If we had it to do over, we would look for the simplest solution, like something handheld if its out there. Once Mom's dementia got bad, it was a waste of money to buy the most expensive high tech aids because there is a level of understanding needed to know how to use them and care for them.
2. Use aids with rechargeable batteries with a charger. Google battery chargers.
The charging system has saved a lot of grief with changing batteries. I purchased his at Costco in Canada. They have been excellent. Anytime dad breaks a part off of them or something is wrong, they fix them usually at no extra cost. I believe in shopping in mom and pop stores, but when it's comes to seniors and hearing aids, they can't beat the extra warranty that Costco gives. I hope this helps.
Way cheaper than hearing aids.
Thank you for your comments about dementia happening so much more often in those who cannot hear! This might be the thing that makes my hubby finally have his hearing checked.
He lost 80% of his hearing in one ear 30 years ago. Genetics are robbing him of the rest in his "good ear". I noticed that he now watches TV with the Closed Captioning on--which is great, since I quit watching ANYTHING with him as we simply could not turn the TV up loud enough. He puts his Bluetooth headphones on when he listens to podcasts, and a lot of the time he wears those simply so he cannot hear MY voice.
I worry about him...but I can't physically drag him to the audiologist's, and he insists that there is NOTHING that can help his hearing loss. In 30 years there have been zero advances in hearing aides??? No, I do not believe that!
He think h/a' make him look old. My daughter said it was the "what? what?" nonstop that makes him look old.
He's missed flights, cops chasing him down the freeway ( "sir, do you have any IDEA how long I have been following you, lights and sirens??" "No" "20 miles.") and all the cute stuff our grandkids say.
Maybe I'll look into the pocket amplifier, but he is so stubborn--I even told him if he'd get hearing aides he could have a dog....that didn't even work.
The fear of dementia might be scary enough for him to sit up and take notice.
Oh, and for those people who have trouble changing out batteries? Get a 4 yo to do it. Seriously. I mean, watch them closely, but I have 4- 4 yo grandkids and those tiny fingers can manipulate the tiniest Legos and such--a hearing aid battery wouldn't faze them.
First of all, best option is to get the aids fixed. Starkey.com can direct you to a hearing specialist who might be able to send the "non-repairable" aid to our lab and see if they would be willing to repair it. They have an all-make repair lab, and they are very motivated to help people, so they may be able to repair the aid at a reasonable cost.
If she won't leave the hearing aids alone, and I know some people get to this point - won't stop fiddling, start hiding things, etc - a better option to help her hear you one-on-one is a Pocket Talker. This is a pair of headphones attached to a microphone that you can turn the volume way up. This way, nothing is stuck in her ears for her to fiddle with and she can still hear to communicate with you and the staff. This device will run in the neighborhood of $150, and it may be worth it for you to get two of them - one you keep with you, and one for the nursing home staff. This way, if one gets broken, there is always a back up. I checked and they do have these available on Amazon.com.
If she is a big TV watcher, and can't hear the TV without her aids in, they also have TV ears that are relatively inexpensive and much more durable for fiddling. This may also be another device to help solve some hearing issues. Lastly, you may like something called a Boogie Board which is a digital tablet you write on (similar to a magna doodle but much easier to read because it is clear). These devices are also available on Amazon.com.
I wish you the very best of luck in helping your mother to hear you. Hearing is so important to our connection and when she can't hear, it makes everything so much more difficult.
For all the readers, education time. Untreated hearing loss severely increases the risk of developing dementia and alzheimer's disease. A mild untreated hearing loss doubles your risk of developing dementia. A severe untreated hearing loss is a 5x risk of developing dementia. If you have a family member with dementia or alzheimer's, you want to do everything to make sure you minimize your risk, and being proactive about taking care of your hearing and treating your hearing loss if any hearing issues are found is an incredibly important piece. Wearing properly fit hearing aids mitigates this increased risk by up to 90%. Get your hearing tested. Treat your hearing loss appropriately for proper brain health throughout your life.
So start with taking it to the audiologist.
My other thought... My mother's rehab facility was actually responsible for the daily maintenance and safe-keeping of her hearing aids. I had the impression that the entire facility, including the nursing home/extended care wing, followed the same rules. Her (very expensive) hearing aids were kept in a lock box with her name and room number on it at the nurses' station. In the morning, an aide would deliver them to her, and at bedtime, they'd be put away in the lock box. You may want to inquire about this protocol at your mom's place.
And lastly, my mother eventually had so many things wrong with her, that I couldn't even keep up. One thing was a mysterious pain in one of her ears, every time we inserted the hearing aid. So, she just stopped wearing it on that side. It wasn't optimum, but she still managed to hear enough with just the one.
I hope my suggestions help. Good luck!