My mom has stroke related dementia and confusion. Her hearing is very bad, and she refuses to get a hearing aid telling me she never needed one before.
I am afraid even if she did have them, would she take them out, lose them or not know how to put them back in. That would be an expensive loss.
I would appreciate any advice on how you handle loss of hearing in a parent suffering from dementia.
There are three things to consider when buying hearing aids -- would they help, would they wear them, and would they be able to comprehend what they hear. Some people say they want hearing aids, only to find they don't help or they don't like the way things sound with them. So they won't wear them. When someone has advance dementia, comprehension of what is being said is a big problem. Even if they hear the words, the aren't registering in a damaged brain, particularly if the words and sentences are not short and strong.
Good hearing aids are expensive, so you have to decide if they would be a good investment. Hearing aids like the Lyric sound good, but they are for milder hearing loss and have to be changed out periodically. I wouldn't recommend them for elderly people with dementia. Considering the other hearing aids, you have to consider the personality and capabilities of an elder. In my mother's case, she is a technophobe and I know she wouldn't like the sound even if it did help her here (the doctor said it wouldn't). All these things let me know the hearing aids would be a huge waste of money for her when they were setting in a drawer unused. We have to make decisions based on what we know about the person. If you think the hearing aids will be good, then go for it! Hearing adds so much to life.
If the problem is mostly loud TVs etc then a set of headphones can keep everyone else in the house from going batty, but you might have problems getting someone with dementia to wear them.
Many older folks are going back to the behind the ear type of aids, they are easier to put on and have a longer battery life, and also changing the batteries is easier because they are not quite so tiny.
Finally, I have discovered it is possible to attach a lanyard to the hearing aids so that they are less easily misplaced. This is commonly done for little tots who wear aids, I see no reason it shouldn't work for older people as well, except of course for vanity.
My dad had hearing aids and they got lost all the time. The sicker he became the more often I found myself rummaging through his clothes looking for them in a pocket. Eventually we realized that they were gone for good. My dad couldn't afford another pair so we had to raise our voices when talking to him. He was profoundly hard of hearing and I know his hearing loss contributed to his sense of isolation. And when I'd tell my dad something or make a comment and he couldn't hear me I'd just give up because it was exhausting to yell all the time.
Maybe someone will come along and have a great idea on how to prevent hearing aids from getting lost.