Replacing hearing aids

DJD70

My mother is in skilled nursing facility with mid-stage dementia. She has hearing aids and has lost one of them. It is normal for her to have them come out during the day and need to be put back in. We had them on a cord attached to her shirt but she still managed to lose one. My quandary is- to I replace the missing aid? She is using a spare set from my sister but they have not been calibrated to mom’s hearing.
I could go with the one but it may add to her confusion. Has anyone handled this, or are there less costly options? I can see her losing them again as she does not maintain them.

Emily 123

They can get expensive. Does your sister's work ok for her?

I bought my mom a voice amplifier from Amazon, but she has to be reminded to use it. However, she hasn't lost it yet, and it's big enough to label. I think some of the hearing difficulty is driven by the disease--some days it's worse than others.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019EDGWGO/ref%3Dppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I added a cheap pair of Panasonic headphones because she didn't like the earplugs that came with the set.

jfkoc

I have hearing aids and, on occasion, do not know where I have left them.

Do you have insurance???

I would think seriously about having the loaners calibrated. They work in tandem so not certain if one will work on it's own.

All of that said, I do have days when I do not use my aids and enjoy the quiet.

SDianeL

The VA prescribed hearing aids for my DH and he wore them one day and refused to wear them again. He has mild hearing loss in one year. Poor hearing can contribute to memory loss. Having said that, I paid attention to my DH and realized it wasn't that he couldn't hear, it was that he couldn't understand the words. Once I slowed down and used simple words, he's fine. He watches TV with no hearing aids. So if your Mom is getting by with the loaned ones, I would leave them. Will insurance cover another one? And How often if she continues to lose them?

JJ401

If you purchased them through an audiologist or a hearing center, and she has owned them less than three years, there may be one free loss replacement.

If not, and you are replacing, I'd go with one of the over the counter ones that they have started selling. The odds of losing another are great and I'd go with less cost.

Dementia brings loss of understanding that even perfect hearing can't fix.

storycrafter

It's a tough decision. Your love and care shows in the thought and consideration you've already given the matter. (I've been wearing hearing aids much of my life since I was mid-thirties, and learned something from your post - I didn't know one could use a cord to attach them to a blouse).

My heart goes out to you and your mother and I wish I could be of help. I was a major caregiver to my father who had severe hearing loss and developed dementia in his 90's, and wore hearing aids. I don't know that I can be of any help, but I can provide a lifetime-experience-viewpoint from someone with moderate, and now severe hearing loss - myself. Maybe something in it could be helpful? I don't know.

If I didn't have hearing aids callibrated to my own ears I can't imagine what that would be like! Without my hearing aids I'd be unable to have the active, busy, engaged life that I have. My life would be severely limited and isolated. As it is, though I don't have dementia, I experience frustration and limitations due to missing some of what people are saying. Hearing aids cannot replace natural hearing, but in most situations they really do give me a life, including important socialization/interaction with others.

A few years ago I switched from an audiologist's personalized service in a small office, to a big-name warehouse store. I'd been very happy with the highly experienced, quick, personalized service. But discovered I could purchase hearing aids from the "big warenouse store" at one-third the price. It's not nearly as convenient as the small storefront, but the price made a difference to me.

I don't know how long your mother has worn hearing aids, but for me it's been a long process of education and acceptance that a new hearing aid requires multiple adjustments to get it right. Patience and repeated tries to find optimal settings is a normal part of the process. For me it's been worth the effort and adjustments I've learned to expect. I don't know if someone with dementia could manage it.

It's such a hard decision. I would say it's worth the trouble to at least try to get the hearing aids callibrated for your mother's hearing.

Best wishes and good luck....

mommyandme (m&m)

Not that your situation is the same…

My mother, before her dementia diagnosis, was on the hearing aid trail. She seemed always on a quest for anything that would mend her ails. I lived in a different state than mom most of my adult life so I didn’t see her declines first hand. After her diagnosis and eventual move next door to me, so I could care for her, it became clear she didn’t have a hearing issue. I believe she was trying to solve her comprehension issues with hearing aids that were ultimately caused by her broken dementia brain. Maybe mom was riding the wave that hearing issues may be linked to getting dementia. No matter, she could hear fine, even too well at times. Lol

I’m just saying this in case your LOs hearing aids are a newer development in her journey. And if so, maybe just maybe, she doesn’t really need them anymore.

Cdoyle0913

Hey there! I'm new here with hopes of getting support dealing with my grandma with dementia. I came across your post and I am actually a Hearing Aid Specialist. We run into this issue very often of dementia patients losing their hearing aids. If the hearing aid itself is under 3 years old it should be under an L&D warranty with a deductable. Check into that first. The nursing home will at times pay for that since it was under their watch when it happened. We have had a few cases where they have paid, so also check that. Another option is check her insurance. Depending on insurance, there are some out there with a no money out of pocket cost for hearing aids every calendar year. I'm more than willing to go into detail with you further if you need more information on that. There are some hearing aid fitters that will reprogram the hearing aids to her hearing loss if you wanted to use your sisters set- that is a fairly simple process. Please let me know if you need any help or any other information.