Hello. My mother who has dementia does not want to use a hearing aid and thinks everyone talks too quietly etc. She refuse to consider a hearing aid and it is becoming very frustrating for all around. She is in a home and even her room mate has to be patient. I need her to understand important conversations.
Is there a simple low cost aid that can be worn when needed. I'm thinking something over the ear. I am worried about an expensive unit not being worn or being impractical to maintain. The goal is to get her to wear something at least on occasion.
She has limited funds, I was hoping to stay under $500.
Thank you for the help!
I would try Costco, like waytomisery, mentioned.
Best of luck, 💕💕
You can take her to an audiologist. Medicare pays for yearly exams. The exam may include to see if she is understanding and processing words.
What I did for my mom which staff were aware, I got a sound amplifier with old fashioned headphone that I would hand to her when important conversations were necessary with me or her doctors
Also , I have heard that Costco has affordable hearing aides , but I do not know the price .,
Be deaf. Learn sign language. Get hearing aides. Or maybe I would try to find one of those huge black ear horn of yesteryear 😆
Seriously though, some people never take to hearing aides at all. Or do - but then don't. Or due to memory/cognition issues, can't seem to keep aides safe - hide them, wrap in tissues & they go missing etc..
Unfortunatelty there may be contributing factors. Skills for *language processing* can also decline, not just hearing.
Many with dementia will say "I can't hear you" but yet do seem to hear. Sometimes it seems selective. Eg will hear (+guess the blanks) in an expected statement but not hear/comprehend new or unexpected info.
Having the speaker face the person with hearing loss & speaking clearly can help. Lip-readers will prefer this.
Alternatively, having the speaker speak directly up close to their best ear may work. This is quite personal so may be better suited for family & well known staff, not a room mate.
I believe there are things like hearing amplifiers that hunters use available from sporting good stores or on line. I think they run a couple of hundred dollars.
Husband always answers with "WHAT?"
I asked him what part did he hear.
All but one word.
It has become a bad habit to say "WHAT?" to buy time while he
formulates his answer.
Next time, I walked away when he said "WHAT?"
When we met up again shortly,
in the house.
he answered after repeating the exact words I had said.
So, don't yell or raise your voice.
Face the person directly until you know that you have their attention.
Speak in a normal, but slower voice, short words are best.
Speak distinctly.
Stop speaking abruptly if the person turns their back on you or starts to walk away; or if they turn on the fan over the stove, bends down into the refrigerator,
has earbuds on, or has music or T.V. on. In other words, all the time.
My ear doctor said that on the average, with normal hearing, a person only hears 75% of what is said.
And never, never do this:
Try talking from another room.
As soon as possible, get an exam and determine if this "hearing loss" can be tested; and if it happens with others, or is it just you they cannot/won't hear?
Check for a wax build-up in their ears, having the doctor's office clean the ears.
Be aware that some things are ototoxic (toxic, harms hearing), such as Oregano essential oils.
Try talking less, only when it is most important. Allow them to understand that you don't have the answer to all their questions.
Try that, see if it helps your own frustration.
Most of the ones I saw while looking for ideas are either hearing aid devices or headphone style. there are some Apps that will amplify sound that you can put on your phone but with dementia there are problems...using the phone, opening the app are hurdles just to get started.
Does mom use a cell phone?
I just did another search...
There is/are "speech-to-text" technology.
**Live Transcribe (Android) a free app from Google transcribes spoken words to phone screen
**Live Captions (iSO) this would provide real-time transcription for audio on iPhone and iPad
**Hearing Helper (iSO) this operated on a push to talk basis converting speech to text.
There are others that I found. Do a search for Talk to Text
ohhh...I just found another option
There are glasses that will enhance sound
**Nuance Audio Glasses. they use directional amplification and a microphone. these are for "mild to moderate hearing loss"
**Aculadio's 4 model uses built in microphones and facial recognition to detect speech, amplify it and cut background noise
**XanderGlasses. These offer real time transcription for those with severe hearing loss.
I just searched for "Glasses that will enhance sound"
Go to Amazon and do a search for hearing aids there, and check the star ratings, if you think it'll help.
In our case I think it's more of a comprehension issue, especially if I say something on a different subject other than what she's already thinking about. So, I try to use a pattern interrupt before saying what I want to say. I'll call her name or get her attention somehow before saying what I want to say.
Not having a lot of money to spare, I purchased some cheap-- $200-- devices from Amazon. They are merely amplifiers, so sound is not 'custom-processed', as the expensive devices from an audiologist would do. Think back to the fancy stereos of the 70s and 80s, with their frequency "equalization" processors. (This is what I need, and will get, when I have saved enough money.)
For now, I make-do with the cheap amplifiers. They amplify ALL sounds, including background noises which already made it difficult to understand speech. They do help when there's no other noise, but almost make things worse when in a crowded room.
It's frustrating that I cannot differentiate one sound source from another anymore. It's frustrating that I cannot separate the background noise from my LO's voices.
Also-- people, generally, have poor enunciation these days. It's a thing, especially with those under age 40 or so. I don't want people to shout at me-- but it would be nice if they would speak clearly and pronounce entire words instead of using contractions.
Call me crazy. Call me demented. Text is fantastic, and I prefer it now. LOL. Yes, I will be signing up for ASL classes because I know that one day, for me, it will be necessary for communication...
But please, don't just write it all off as "dementia" if your LO has hearing issues.