My Mother in Law is in care, and has poor hearing that hearing aids dont seem to help. I have been searching online for a dedicated voice to text device to help comunicate with her. No luck. My idea was to leave the device with her to help staff and visitors comunicate.
After much searching, I realized that I was approaching the problem the wrong way. She is 94 years old, and finds technology very chalenging, but almost everyone who needs to comunicate with her is much younger and not as chalenged. Almost without exception they carry their mobile phone with them.
Even without any special apps, most smart phones can convert speech to text as follows.
1) using the text message app on your phone, press the microphone icon and say what you need to comunicate, check the text, and show the screen to the hearing impaired person. You dont need to fill in the adress bar, or send the text.
you can delete it after it has been read, or just add to it.
2) Use the note app the same way as above.

I think that there may be many other ways of achieving the same goal.
Be carful to check the text before showing it to the person, my first test went like this
" Hi Jean, how are you today, would you like a cup of tea."
My iPhone 6 interpreted this as
"Hi Gene, how are you to die, would you like a cup of tea"
Nearly as bad as the Doctor who realeased his patient from hospital "to die"
(should have been today)
Thanks,
Allan.

Those are excellent tips, Margaret. I am discovering just how important they are now that I am obliged to put on a surgical mask before entering clients' premises!

Fortunately you can do quite a lot with eye contact, too. Don't have an emoji for smiling eyes...

My GP’s office had some more tips that you can add to the article. It starts by saying that hearing loss means that some sounds are easier to hear than others. The person is trying to fill in the blanks they can’t quite get, so that it becomes understandable. Your job is to make that easier.
1. Get their attention before speaking, so they are listening from the beginning, not playing catch-up.
2. Tell them first what the topic is (eg 'about the fence'). That will help them guess the missing words or letters.
3. Make sure they can see your lips, even if they don’t think they lip read. Don’t cover your mouth, and keep your face in the light.
4. Speak clearly and at a steady rate. Too fast is too hard. Too slow makes lip reading harder. Clarity is more important than volume.
5. If you repeat, use the same words, so they aren't guessing a whole new story. If they still can’t get it, simplify or spell out an important word.
6. Pick a quiet spot with very little background noise. Turn off music and fans. Avoid busy restaurants with hard surfaces.
7. Share a laugh at mistakes!

I thought this was good, and hope it helps you too.

I most my hearing hearing aids won't help i m tired of people screaming at me do they quit talking so what do I do

Mom 95, with dementia. I bought 6000 hearing aids, she won't wear them. And she will not go to get the wax out of her ears, gets very mean with the doctor and he won't even try. It has gotten very bad. She always had an unusual amount of wax, but she would go get them cleaned when she was younger.

i have a patient that speaks but cannot hear. it is difficult to communicate over the phone which is the primary method of communication when we work together

How I wish I could talk to my Mother, she is so level headed and has good ideas but her hearing is to the point of no return. I do repeat over and over, then I try to re-phase using different words... once in a great while she will pick up one word and start talking about the subject.

Mom is still very sharp at 96, but she can come across as confused because of her hearing, she will shake her head no, look bewildered, etc .... so if she meets someone new I have to let that person know what is going on.

Too bad I can't write down what I am saying to show to Mom, she has macular degeneration in her eyes so she can barely see now. That must be so very difficult.

Last year Mom bought a new and improved hearing aid but it still didn't correct her hearing and the doctor told her it was her *ear*, not the hearing aid that doesn't work. Mom still thinks she can find some super hearing aid that would work. I can't blame her for wanting to search.

My Mom lives with me, and she has two hearing aides. Her ears frequently get clogged up with ear wax and then we have to get them flushed out. When I say something to her, she will always say "what?" No matter WHAT! I think it's a habit now. Also, it seems as though she does not hear me even though she appears to be listening. Because I'll see her eyes go to something outside and she asks me a question from the "clear blue" before I can even finish my comments. It's frustrating trying to talk to someone like this. I usually just say "never mind," and go about my own business. BUT, I want to scream! How can I get her to pay attention better? She's like a preschooler who can't keep one thought for more than 15 seconds. Any suggestions?

Communicating with a deaf person who has dementia can be very, very difficult. My mom is completely deaf in one ear (mastoidectomy) and about 90% deaf in the other ear. She has a hearing aid which helps some, but constantly hides it, and doesn't remember where. I've found it in her pillowcase, wadded up in dirty kleenex in her pocket, in every drawer imaginable, in the Kleenex box on her nightstand, in the bag that holds her rollers, etc. Her physical therapist even found it in my mom's sock one day when she was helping mom exercise. I finally started setting an alarm on my phone to remind me to get it from her at the end of the day, and now most of the time I'm able to get it from her before she hides it.

When Mom doesn't have her hearing aid in, she can barely hear me when I bellow at the top of my lungs. Most of the time she will start guessing, and she's almost always wrong. I'll ask something which I think is obvious like 'Are you hungry?' and she'll guess 'Am I...grumpy? Am I... lumpy?' and on and on. Once she finally gets it right, she then has to tell me all the things she thought I was saying, and the story of how she lost her hearing, which I've heard a million times. As was suggested above, I got a whiteboard, which helps a lot. It's saved a lot of vocal cords, high blood pressure, and hurt feelings. Well worth it. It's hard to yell a question in someone's ear and sound like you care about them. And many times, the very act of yelling has seemed to trigger anger in me, making it very, very hard to keep my cool.

Don't rephrase too quickly. If someone asks you to repeat what you've just said, for example, and you immediately rephrase what you've said, you're moving the goalposts. Repeat means repeat, verbatim. Try that first.

when someone is hearing impared, be sure when you talk to them, they are looking at you. touch their arm/shoulder. enunciated your words, speak slowly clearly. most people , even the deaf, have a frequecncy they can hear, usually a low monotone voice. but look at the directly and speak clearly. even if they cant read lips, they will understand

People having hearing loss often keep themselves away from social life because of their inability to communicate with the society. Most people find it difficult to be with people having hearing impairments. But only the close ones understand the need of learning ways to give them company and inspire them to mingle among the society. Our support will help them be comfortable in the society. This is a great article and these small steps can really help our loved ones to feel normal and inspire them to live a normal life. I also came across a similar blog which I think will help many. Here is the link: http://www.hearingsolutions.ca/blog/how-accommodate-someone-who-has-partially-lost-hearing

MIL is 91...paid $ 6000.00 for her hearing aids and does not want to wear them...is legally blind in one eye and cognitive function of the other eye is impaired due to Parkinson's...I do talk loud so that she can hear me, but our daughter tells me I sound mad...I try not to but realize that I sometimes do. When it's a day that the dementia has her calling us all night long to ask what time it is because she wants to get up at 4, I probably am...that has gotten better since my husband started getting up to help with her...I try to be a decent person but it's hard to function on 4 hours sleep, and not get cranky.

Use a pad of paper and a big fat black pen. My MIL has wax impacted ears -- she refuses to go to doctor to have it removed. I'd scream at her to be heard and she would get upset because not only couldn't she hear but you just can't scream at someone and look pleasant - she thought I was angry with her. I write and she talks (she can hear herself so I know she has no hearing loss). It works. Try it.

White boards are a must for someone who can't hear, has poor vision, and is technologically behind the times. We used the hand-held white boards for my father, who was almost totally deaf. It was slow, but allowed us to communicate.

It is so hard to communicate iwth one that has hearing loss. Hearing aids help but don't do it all in my case my mom is 96. in great health.....just can't see (macular degeneration) can't hear, and has dementia...sometimes I give up after all the above suggestions. I know she gets frustrated but I do to. I care for her in my home and its been a wild ride. Still, would not have it any other way. Its just nice to hear that I am not alone.

I had mom take a hearing test and she is quite deaf. The suggested a hearing aid, I bought it, $6000.00. They got it in her ears and it works fine. But she won't wear it because she doesn't have a hearing problem. We just talk Swahili around her. She is 93 and know we don't speak any other language.

What if the patient has AD, and you are positive that they will throw away the hearing aid? WHY BOTHER?

It is really hard to communicate with hearing loss person. My mother is having hearing loss and I know how difficult it is. But using appropriate hearing aid the problem can be minimized.

My Mom bought hearing aids, but her fingers are so arthritic, and she has macular degeneration so can't see, that she couldn't open the aids to change the batteries or at night to save them... Also, although they were supposed to be adjusted to minimize or avoid this, they squealed when she got near something, for instance the headrest or seat in the car. She gave up & took them back for a refund, which is a real shame because now she won't try again and talking with her is PAINFUL!

My father has had hearing aids that were barely functional. Recently he went to the VA and was given hearing aids that were worth 3K a piece! He can finally hear! Dont know if your Dad was a veteran, but if so, it will be worth your time to check it out. For the wommen, I have a boss who is in her early 30;s that has to wear hearing aids. She woke up one morning with hearling loss and no one knows why it happened, but she dealt with it and is happy and productive. She is so awesome! Tell your Mom this story - I bet vanity is her issue.

Any thoughts on how to get a parent to get a hearing test? My mom is in complete denial that she has any hearing loss, while everyone around her is very aware of it. When I even suggest she might want to see the doctor, she gets completely defensive. Has anyone else been in this position?

My Dad is 100 yrs old and shakes his head when I talk to him and I know that he really dosn't hear me but he wants me to think that he can. He's still very sharp and he needs to engage in conversation with people especially those who take care of him. I realized one day how isolated he was and how much of life he was missing because he dosn't understand what anyone is talking about or being able to reply to the many questions that grandchildren ask. I started writing notes when I wanted to ask him a question or just comment on something that we were watching on TV/. It made a tremendous difference in his attidude and his feeling of well being. Now everyone writes him notes and it has turned out to be fun for his grandchildren it's almost like a game for them. He feels like he's still a part of everything going on and is still part of the decision making process. It takes a little effort but the rewards are well worth it. The hearing impaired elderly still have much to talk about, afterall theres nothing wrong with there vocal chords. Happy Writing

i try all that, but he pretends his hearing aids batterys are dead..when my sister was here, i was trying to talk to them both, and i spoke louder, of course, and she said' why are you yelling? your intimidating!' i said ' i have to raise my voice or he cant hear me, second, my body language is not that of threat,third, dont ignore me ignore ignore me, then when your eating dinner and i try to talk , im intimidating? oh, quit it!' my brother used to beat him up!! and he would say nothing..i never hit him, never threatnen too, and he plays 'scared of me' when he doesnt want to hear me. hes a jerk .there i said it. he has always treated women like we have no brains,but to play the scared card just makes me want to walk out the door.