Can your parent manage their hearing aids?

[Anonymous]

My 81 yo father has limited hearing. He misses a lot of what is said to him, and on the phone he yells 100% of the time. I'm sure he would benefit from hearing aids, but he had a stroke last year and has great difficulty remembering where things are and what they're for. His bedroom in the independent living apt is a total mess, as are their kitchen counters. He also has limited dexterity and his vision is rapidly declining, so he can't read anymore unless it's on his phone.

My mom is no help - she has the beginning stages of dementia and often gets up a night and moves stuff around, takes pills that aren't hers, etc.

If you have an elderly parent, are they able to manage calibration and charging of hearing aids? Should I give up this idea before I've even suggested it to him??

I'm starting to think those old-fashioned big ear trumpets are a great idea! Any advice appreciated!

[Anonymous]

I wouldnt waste your $. My mom insisted she needed hearing aids (she doesn’t) so we took her to get some. She wore them for a month tops and now cannot find them. Both parents struggle with memory issues and have someone that comes to help them several times a week. Even with that help they still are struggling with basic skills due to memory. My dad who absolutely needs them won’t go get them.

This is not a battle I care to fight. If they can’t hear each other so be it.

[Anonymous]

Hearing loss and not using aides contributes more to development and decline with dementia so there's that. However, you chose your battles. The bigger issue is it sounds like their needs exceed where they live. AL would be a better match and you could ask of someone could assist him with hearing aides.

[Anonymous]

Sounds futile. How about a large screen phone and captioning for your calls?

[Anonymous]

I have a relative that uses a BOSE headset through her cell phone for her hearing issues. She also has similar technology that she wears around her neck at noisy restaurants for example, after putting her cell phone on in the center of the table.

She started using these in her mid-70s. Both are large (less like to get lost), and she started using them before she was demented, so less learning curve.

You might see if it's an option though, if you think they won't get lost or stolen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hearing loss and not using aides contributes more to development and decline with dementia so there's that. However, you chose your battles. The bigger issue is it sounds like their needs exceed where they live. AL would be a better match and you could ask of someone could assist him with hearing aides.

My dad had hearing aids from Costco and one nice thing is that they would clean them and recalibrate the volume while my parents were shopping. I cannot underscore enough how having much easy access to customer service made it feasible.

He never used the phone app that came with the hearing aids, and the volume was usually too high or too low and he didn't know how to adjust it. Usually the Costco person would tell him "The volume was all the way down, that's why you thought they weren't working."

My dad has dementia now, and I actually wonder if the hearing loss was mostly him not comprehending anything anymore. Yeah, they did the hearing tests and determined he needed them, but in the end, the dementia was a much bigger issue.

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t sound like they’re going to help until/unless their living situation changes

[Anonymous]

My husband has hearing loss and it is very frustrating for everyone. He got hearing aids and struggles with adjusting to them, particularly when it deals to background noise.

He recently tried the new Apple AirPods and loves them. It took only a few minutes to adjust them to his liking and it’s been fabulous for both of us. The only problem is they’re obvious. We went to an event yesterday and he felt it would be rude to wear them because they don’t give the impression he is fully engaged during conversations.

[Anonymous]

I spent so much time trying to get my mom to wear Costco hearing aids. She wouldn't remember to charge them and she thought they were hard to put in.

Then I found out when I went to an audiologist about Lyric hearing aids by phonak. They are disposable hearing aids that are inserted by the audiologist and kept in the ear for 8 weeks. Then you go back to the audiologist and get them replaced. So the elderly person never has to charge them or insert them.

Only I think around 10 or 20% of audiologist are trained in inserting the Lyric. So you have to search if there is a place that dispenses them.

[Anonymous]

spent 3k and mom doesn't wear them. She doesnt like the way they feel, and has trouble putting them in, and now has dementia and cant' reall figure out how to charge them.

[Anonymous]

I think some of the Apple AirPods have like a hearing aid feature. That could be less expensive place to start? And maybe a teeny tiny bit easier to keep track of?

[Anonymous]

I don’t know many 85+ year olds that can effectively control hearing aids through the cell phone which they struggle with any way. Who thought that was a good idea.

[Anonymous]

It is difficult to get hearing aids later in life if the person has had hearing loss for a long time and is only now addressing. The brain has trouble adjusting once the hearing loss is significant. Everything is just loud and all the wrong sounds are exaggerated, and due to all that noise it is hard to hear with the hearing aids.

It's probably too late for your dad, but it's a cautionary tale for younger people. Start as early as needed.

And interesting re: the AirPods. I saw that they just came out. I think the hard part will be when someone is social and wearing the AirPods around. With family, no big deal, but at a big party might be difficult. Many younger people don't want people to know they are wearing HAs.

[Anonymous]

OP, my dad had hearing aids for many years, but was not able to manage them in the last several years before he passed away. We did replace the fancy set with a 'simple' set (one push button control, no bluetooth or that stuff) but at that point he really wasn't able to do even that. My mom and I handled it-putting them in the charger each night, getting them cleaned/repaired, I got a cord clip that attched to the them and his shirt so he could not lose them.

However, my mom is mentally sharp and relatively healthy, if she was not, this would have been impossible. In your case, I do not think either of them can manage them. It would be up to a caregiver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know many 85+ year olds that can effectively control hearing aids through the cell phone which they struggle with any way. Who thought that was a good idea.

I wouldn't mind a pair now in my 40s. I feel like I'm struggling to hear more and more lately - especially if there is background music or chatter. Maybe if I start now I will be able to handle the tech when I actually need it. "Alexa, turn up my hearing aids."