It's not easy to get used to the differences in sounds when new hearing aids are introduced, so some of your answer depends on the stage of the person who needs them.
As was mentioned, hearing better would help significantly if the person can adjust. Sadly, there's no way to know ahead of time. I'm hoping that some of these responses helped you. Carol
My husband used hearing aids years before he developed dementia, and was able to continue with them (often with reminders) throughout his dementia. I worked very hard with him on keeping track of the aids. "In your ears or in their box" was our mantra. In spite of that we had to replace them at least three times. (Once when he microwaved them. Sigh.) The hearing aids really did help us communicate and I think the struggle was worth it.
My mother, on the other hand, did not use hearing aids before she developed dementia symptoms. I'm not at all sure that she would have been able to learn to deal with them. Even her dentures, which she'd had for more than 60 years, seemed to confuse her sometimes.
You'll have to judge the situation for your mother, but unfortunately some persons with dementia do not do well with new devices such as earing aids, c-pap masks, etc.
JanetG1, My Mother became hard at hearing after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Mam must have asked Me countless times to SPEAK UP, I CANT HEAR YOU...eventually I discovered Mother became lost in the conversation when there was two or three People talking, simply because Mam was not able to process what was being said therefore I raised My voice and I spoke very slowly, and I reminded every other Person to do the same when talking in Mothers presence, and for only one Person to speak at any given time. It worked a treat for Mam and all of Us. Another tip when talking with a Demensia or Alzheimers sufferer..always speak to Them at Their Level, and mantain eye contact. Never stand over Them. I'm not an expert but I found Myself thrown into the deep end with NO HELP, therefore I joined this wonderful Age Action Site and I had so much to Learn. I'm convinced if I did not have the aid of all this wonderful Site with the Input from all the dedicated Caregivers, I would not have been capabable of Caring for Mam for the last three years of Her Long and beautiful Life here in Our own home. Thank You all so much. With gratitude from John Joe.
I recommend not spending a whole lot on hearing aids because it's likely that they will in fact get lost very quickly. The upside is that once your mom is able to hear better she may seem less confused at times.
Do hearing aid clips adequately help keep the hearing aids on the person with dementia? They're what we're going to try next. My mother "lost" her brand new hearing aids : ( -- we're picking up a replacement pair today, equipped with the clips, etc. I hope they work. I'm wondering if the solution is to have her wear hearing aids only when we know she'll be around others, but I can't imagine asking the assisted living staff to put them in and take them out before and after each meal, activity, etc. It's frustrating because I know she misses out on a lot when they're not in but we can't afford to keep replacing them when she "loses" them so quickly. The frustrating thing is not knowing what she did with them. Knowing that someone microwaved theirs shows how wide open the possibilities are.
My Mom always wore a hearing aid. She started out with 2, bit she lost one and that was before she had LBD. So, when I would talk to her and she couldn't hear me, I turned up her hearing aid or changed the batteries. She couldn't remember to do either one. I told the staff to take it out of her ear at night, and put it in a box I had given them to keep it safe. There were never any problems after that. But I am not so sure she cared about what was going on around her. I don't know if hearing was that important to her and I don't know if she knew the difference. At least with the hearing aid, we could communicate, and that was important to me.
We got Mom state-of-the-art, self-adjusting hearing aids before her dementia got bad, but still were too late for her to adapt to the changes.
Whenever we went out she would tell me over and over how she wished I could hear all the noises going on. Of course, I could hear all the noises but she wasn't used to them and hated it.
I have to give her credit for trying because she wore the things day after day to please me, but there was no change in her expressions of discomfort until finally I got sick of it and put them away. Her trying them out -- although she insisted she couldn't insert the devices herself -- was especially impressive since she made it clear SHE did not have a problem with hearing, that it was OUR problem that we had to speak loudly.
She wouldn't admit it, but she learned to read lips. So if she could see us clearly she often could understand what was being said.
That was 10 or 12 years ago and now the dementia has progressed and her hearing seems worse. Sometimes. I suspect she's selective about what she can 'hear' and what she can't. When I've said something to her, up close and loud, and she asks me to repeat it, most likely she's messing with me to amuse herself. That aspect of her personality seems unchanged by advancing memory loss.
I like the idea shared by MACinCT of keeping an amplifier on hand for use when they visit. Brilliant.
Good luck to you for a solution which works for everyone.
I'd recommend getting the hearing aids to prevent the increase of dementia. If your mom enjoys listening to people around her and seeing lots entertainment shows such as TV, movies, etc., then she probably remember to put the aids in her ears.
FYI the hearing aids I suggested are digital and can be programmed on your computer, iPad or smart phone. It also tests your hearing and adjusts accordingly. These are Not sound amplifiers. Of course any testing would need to be done by the care giver. For me it was a breeze adjusting my moms aids according to her frequency loss. The cost was under $500.00 and once in awhile can be purchased with 20% off. Which takes away a bit of the sting if they get lost or mishandled. Hope this clears up any misconceptions.
As was mentioned, hearing better would help significantly if the person can adjust. Sadly, there's no way to know ahead of time. I'm hoping that some of these responses helped you.
Carol
My mother, on the other hand, did not use hearing aids before she developed dementia symptoms. I'm not at all sure that she would have been able to learn to deal with them. Even her dentures, which she'd had for more than 60 years, seemed to confuse her sometimes.
You'll have to judge the situation for your mother, but unfortunately some persons with dementia do not do well with new devices such as earing aids, c-pap masks, etc.
Whenever we went out she would tell me over and over how she wished I could hear all the noises going on. Of course, I could hear all the noises but she wasn't used to them and hated it.
I have to give her credit for trying because she wore the things day after day to please me, but there was no change in her expressions of discomfort until finally I got sick of it and put them away. Her trying them out -- although she insisted she couldn't insert the devices herself -- was especially impressive since she made it clear SHE did not have a problem with hearing, that it was OUR problem that we had to speak loudly.
She wouldn't admit it, but she learned to read lips. So if she could see us clearly she often could understand what was being said.
That was 10 or 12 years ago and now the dementia has progressed and her hearing seems worse. Sometimes. I suspect she's selective about what she can 'hear' and what she can't. When I've said something to her, up close and loud, and she asks me to repeat it, most likely she's messing with me to amuse herself. That aspect of her personality seems unchanged by advancing memory loss.
I like the idea shared by MACinCT of keeping an amplifier on hand for use when they visit. Brilliant.
Good luck to you for a solution which works for everyone.
These are Not sound amplifiers.
Of course any testing would need to be done by the care giver.
For me it was a breeze adjusting my moms aids according to her frequency loss.
The cost was under $500.00 and once in awhile can be purchased with 20% off. Which takes away a bit of the sting if they get lost or mishandled.
Hope this clears up any misconceptions.
See All Answers