My mother has a loss of hearing and always has the TV on full volume. She always makes me feel guilty for asking her to turn it down. She refuses to have a hearing test. Can you help me?

she needs to get a hearing test.. its the safety issues that I think of.. listening for the doorbell, answering the phone, simple things like hearing the microwave buzz or the boiling water on the stove..
. we had a simple solution for my Mom.. either get a hearing test or your granddaughter does not come and visit you without supervision. Its harsh but it works.. now my Mom has the independance she needed and can watch and hear her grandaughter with no problems.

This is a tough spot, you have my sympathies! We went through this with my dad and grandmother. For grandma we got some wireless headphones. She had the TV as loud as she wanted and we didn't suffer. For my dad, we gave him the living room and converted another room for our TV. We were all content that way. When he finally moved to a hospice, he also got wireless earphones but didn't care for TV much after that...

Thank you all for your comments. They are helpful. My brother hooked up ear buds to the back of the TV and she can hear good and I am happy also BUT she refuses to wear them when he leaves. She feels it is my problem and not hers. She just doesn't care if it bothers me or the neighbors.

Use the closed captions and shut the volume off and I would put money on she will want to get the hearing test! I had to do something similar with my mother after she got in an accident. I told her if she couldn't hear the judge in court he'd take her license away..yup that worked!

We all feel guilt, no matter what we do, was it the right thing to do, was it the wrong thing, could I have done this, that, it's always in the back of our heads.

Maybe if you get 2 pairs of earplugs, plug both in, sit down with your mom and see how that works out. If you can't plug in two, how about YOU were a pair, sit down with her, and gently suggest she try them on and talk about the acoustics, and how clear the sound is. Maybe she will be curious to see and take them, put them on, and keep them on.

Lord knows that lour T.V. drives us all crazy at one time or another so know that you're not alone in that area.

Hope this helps.

I, totally understand. since you are caring for her. Make an appt for you both, i have hearing loss because i felt guilty. It is not fair for her to do this to you. Make that appt ,if only for her, and remind her-she is in YOUR care & in order for you to do it, she has to do her part.

Thank you guys...this has been a big help. I will pass it on to others also. Love ya all! DH

Just took my mother to have her hearing aids checked. Prior to that, I knew she had had a problem with wax in the ears. I went to an audiology website and researched wax in the ears. Gross but amazing how this stuff plugs up your ears! Purchased an ear wax kit for my Mom. AL nurse put drops in every 4 hrs during the day and once at night. Put cotton balls in each time and for the night. This softened up the wax so that it could be removed at Beltone by the audiologist. The wax can actually adhere to the sides of the ear canal so softening it makes it easier. She did this for 3 - 4 days prior to office visit.

Sure enough, her ears were 100% blocked in one, and 75% in another. Watched the removal of wax on the computer. Again, gross, but interesting.

Also, learned that her hearing aids can be adjusted with a program download to the aids. My late father made her buy them but she was too vain to wear them until the Speech Therapist and I said we were having to talk loudly to her. Plus, TV was very loud, too.

Learned that she should have been going in each qtr for a check up and to clean her hearing aids (wax gets on them also). This is included in price of the hearing aids. THE THINGS OUR PARENTS DON'T TELL THEIR KIDS...auurghhh! Anyway, if your parent can't hear, they can cognitively decline.

As far as loudness of TV, I have noticed that the newer TVs speakers are terrible. My Mom could hear better if the speakers were facing her. (We attached extra speakers.) Also, wireless speakers are excellent. They can be bought at big box electronics store or online. You can put these right beside your parent who can turn it up or down when they want. Keeps the TV from blasting the neighbors.

Hope this helps!

Alison, great minds think alike! ;)

My Mom who has dementia has the tv at full volume as well. My Dad tolerates it, but doesn't like it. When she turns the TV on when I am there I leave the room or I go home. She too tries to make me feel guilty and tells me something is wrong with ears! But it literally hurts my ears!  She refuses to wear any sort of hearing aid or hearing amplifier for the TV.   She also won't do the close caption.  Trying to rationalize anything, with a dementia patient is almost impossible from my experience!   So, do I punish my Dad and continue to leave when she turns the tv on?  It takes a lot of stress off him when I am there.....