Old Age Problems

My poor mother-in-law.  She can't hear.   How do we get her to get  hearing aids?  I can't talk to her.  I think  she would enjoy life more if she could hear.
She is 93 years old.  Has anyone dealt with this?

I have no answer to your question.  If I were to reach the age of 93, perhaps I'd turn off my hearing aid if I had one.

Yes.  My mother was 93.  My brother and I quit repeating things to her.  I started pointing out how she missed what the store clerks said and I quit being her ears when we were together.  She was also falling asleep in church because she didn't hear the minister and the hum of the service put her to sleep.  I pointed out to her all the people with ear buds - no one knows who is listening to music or has hearing aids.

Then I took her to Miracle ear where she was amazed at the difference.  At her age, her savings afforded her the privilege of choosing the hearing aids she wanted - those that disappeared and required zero fiddling.

Hers are set to listen to normal conversation.  Period.  She does have to change the batteries.  Now they have them that recharge at night and if she wasn't already accustomed to these (she's 95 in September) I'd suggest the rechargeables.

She fought the idea for many years.  Finally, we quit catering to her or being blasted out of the house with the tv etc.

Miracle Ear was also very good with her as an older person and made her feel very comfortable and as though she was getting a great deal.  The office was small and nearby and any subsequent checkups were included in the price as well as a year's supply of batteries.  Any questions she had they were quick to answer.  Their service was worth the extra cost.

It changed her life.  Now she can talk on the phone, answer the door, hear the store clerks, enjoy church and the final straw:

I told her that not hearing made her appear old and demented.  People were judging her as less "with it" because she could not hear them.  It appeared she was stupid instead of having poor hearing.  I told her people today assume you can hear so if you ignore them or act ignorant, they think you are suffering from dementia.  Deaf people read lips and even have hearing dogs.

I should have thought of that years ago.  Pride finally won.

Now there's the matter of reading glasses for me.  I do not need them.  I do not want them.  Just because I can't see at night to read before retiring means my eyes are tired and I can see just fine at night to read the tablet.

Just because I can't read the phone book or a menu or a pill bottle - well, that means the writing is too small and the light too dim.  



Hmmmmmm

What a beautiful post you have made, Diane.  How much in dollars were the Miracle ear things and where would I go in my area.  I would love to hear.
Love,
Betty

I think they were $3000 two years ago...that seems like a lot, but so far it has worked out to $1000 per year or less than $100/mo for the gift of hearing the world.   I do believe there are equally and maybe better ones today at the same or lesser cost.  However, I pay almost $100 a month for tv (well, plus phone and internet) and how much better to spend it for hearing!

However, Miracle Ear is everywhere with small offices (franchises) with the owners often the audiologists so I think they take special care since it's their own business.

I have seen hearing aids at all prices and all designs, so it was just a relief to make the decision and get it done - and mother's life changed so radically (and ours too!) that it was a wise investment.

I think you pay for the franchise in your cost of hearing aids with Miracle Ear.  Again - with mother the service and caring were worth every penny.

If it was for me, I would have to shop around plenty as $3000 is out of my range.  I would probably end up with one that hangs over your ear.  They do a great job, are easy to adjust and are much less expense. 

Some people only need one.

Miracle-ear.com has a location finder.  You put in your zip code and they find an office.  The initial hearing aid test is free.  They do want you to walk out with hearing aids, though, so be prepared to say no if they are not what you want or choose or your budget.

I recommend reading:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/the-hunt-for-an-affordable-hearing-aid/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

It's a couple years old, but the bottom line is to check at Costco.  They have a real person and their prices have less flim flam.  It would be worth the $52 to join Costco for what would be saved on the hearing aids and you have a year's worth of costco shopping for bulk stuff if you have the space to put it.

On the otherhand, it may be worth the extra for an office down the street because they take a lot of adjustment initially - and you also want a guarantee in case they just won't work for you and you need another brand.  Ears I guess are very individual.

I think reading glasses are less complicated...

DK,

Thank you. That was a very informative and through answer.  I now know what to do and where to look.
I am glad your mother is doing so well.

dkchristi wrote:

She was also falling asleep in church because she didn't hear the minister

I was falling asleep in church because I could hear the minister. That was when I was about 16.

dkchristi wrote:

She was also falling asleep in church because she didn't hear the minister

I was falling asleep in church because I could hear the minister. That was when I was about 16.

Al, 

Love your humor and truth.

Alice,

My dad is very hard of hearing. He has expensive hearing aids that he does not use because they do not amplify his hearing enough--and he hates changing tiny batteries all the time. I got him a lot of different inexpensive non-prescription "hearing amplifiers" of the over the ear and in the ear variety but these are also not enough for him. He likes two that I bought for him that are smaller than a pack of cards and are carried in a pocket with a traditional earbud. These he uses all the time and they cost around $20 or so. I got him three or four in the last year as backups and he is very happy with them. I'd still like him to visit his audiologist for an upgraded hearing aid, but he had bigger (health related) fish to fry, unfortunately.

I know that a hearing aid prescribed by an audiologist is best--but there is no convincing him to go that route for upgrades. (I nagged him enough about it for years.) He likes the simplicity of the radio-like amplifiers and they work better for him than his hearing aids. They amplify about 40-50 db which is not loud enough to do additional harm--about the same as an iPod at medium volume. If you browse Amazon.com and search "hearing amplifier" you'll see lots of options with used reviews. Just a thought. Always check with a doctor to make sure these will not do any harm, though.

The batteries irritate mother.  I see they have rechargeable though that no longer need batteries.  You just take them out at night and put them in the charger.

Thank you, Victor, it is good to see you here.