Older parents-WWYD?

[PB]

Towards the end my mother lost here hearing aids and had to go through the entire evaluation all over again, which was so stressful she failed a competency test later that day and was sick for 2 and a half weeks. The new $6k hearing aids lasted all of 5 days before disappearing, never to be seen again.At this stage, face to face is the only real way to communicate.

[californiagrown]

Anyone got reccos for phones for the hearing impaired and cognitively impaired?

No. The only way we managed consistent communication with my grandpa the last few years was to call at his 430pm cocktail hour. Like goddamn clockwork the man would have a glass of vodka cranberry (cran for a drop of color), everyday at 4:30 in his chair... and that is where we placed a corded phone so all he had to do was pick it up and say hello, and then put it back down when he was done.

We were at first annoyed that he wouldnt pick up his phone at any other time of the day... but then we just stopped calling for fear that he might try rushing to phone to answer in time and fall. So, we just made the call a routine part of his routine cocktail hour... it worked well for him and us.

[Rideski]

There are some phones with captioning. I wonder how accurate it is. If it's anything like voice to text, it will appear as if I say some bad words.

[UTpowder]

Audiologist here. There are a couple different caption phones that I recommend in my practice. Caption Call and Hamilton CapTel. Both work fairly well and are are mostly accurate in their transcription. I mostly do Caption Call but they are both similar.
They are free for the user. Both Caption Call and Hamilton both provide no cost phones to those that have a certified hearing loss, the loss has to be documented by a physician or an audiologist. Both companies get paid through the universal access fee that we all pay on our phone bill each month so they don't charge for the phone. The phones are also amplified so they get loud enough to actually hurt my ears when turned all the way up. The biggest drawback is that they aren't cordless. Since both companies get paid when the phone is actually used with captions they force you to be in front of it during use.
PB don't know if your mother is still around but most hearing aids should come with a loss warranty (one time loss). All the hearing aids I fit have a 3 year loss replacement warranty. There is also an aftermarket company that insures them for loss if the original warranty has been used. Its a bit expensive at a couple hundred a year per hearing aid. But if somebody is prone to loosing them after the first loss its not a bad idea do something like that.

[BCMtnHound]

So is audiologist higher or lower on the Ogden scale from dentistry?

I kid. It never ceases to amaze me the breadth of expertise, and our degree of separation to that resource on this forum. This by itself makes this online community so valuable and worth the investment.
Thanks for you input UTpowder!

[UTpowder]

Hard to say, looking in mouths or ears all day??? Take your pick. Both better then looking in assholes all day. Less pay though.

[PB]

Thanks, UTpowder. Mom's losing her aids was 9 years ago and she passed shortly afterwards. Good to know for me, as I am now the owner/user of a hearing aid. Fantastic results, by the way.

[evdog]

Audiologist here. There are a couple different caption phones that I recommend in my practice. Caption Call and Hamilton CapTel. Both work fairly well and are are mostly accurate in their transcription. I mostly do Caption Call but they are both similar. They are free for the user. Both Caption Call and Hamilton both provide no cost phones to those that have a certified hearing loss, the loss has to be documented by a physician or an audiologist. Both companies get paid through the universal access fee that we all pay on our phone bill each month so they don't charge for the phone. The phones are also amplified so they get loud enough to actually hurt my ears when turned all the way up. The biggest drawback is that they aren't cordless. Since both companies get paid when the phone is actually used with captions they force you to be in front of it during use. PB don't know if your mother is still around but most hearing aids should come with a loss warranty (one time loss). All the hearing aids I fit have a 3 year loss replacement warranty. There is also an aftermarket company that insures them for loss if the original warranty has been used. Its a bit expensive at a couple hundred a year per hearing aid. But if somebody is prone to loosing them after the first loss its not a bad idea do something like that.

Thanks UT! My parents are up in Canada where unfortunately those caption services are not available. I doubt my parents would be able to handle the captioning anyways. There are cognition issues involved so being able to read and comprehend would probably too much. Based on past experience they would completely forget the captioning display even exists. The volume sounds about right though!


Fortunately they can hear both me and my sister on the phone because they are used to our voices and we know to speak up. But they usually cannot hear other people on the phone or in person, and will never ask anyone to speak up. Typical example I went to my Moms doctor appt with her last year. It looked like she wasnt hearing what the doctor said, so I asked loudly (to let the Dr know to talk louder,) if she could hear. She said yes. When we got out, she said I couldnt hear a word that lady said. You know what will fix that, WEAR YOUR DAMN HEARING AIDS. Well, if anyone has something important to say they should know to speak up! Unfortunately this is more than just an annoyance. Mom will not call anyone for any sort of service - appointments, service calls, you name it - because she cant hear them. So my sister or I have to make calls for them.


I am visiting next week and have a bunch of appts set up including their audiologist. My dad needs new hearing aids since one of his is broken and the other lost. When he isnt refusing to wear them he sometimes wears my Moms. Hers are custom molded so not a great fit nor are they adjusted for him so he really shouldnt. Im hoping if we get him a new pair he will actually wear them. If you put them out for him and dont say anything he will often put them in out of muscle memory. But if you ask or tell him, his response is I dont need them. My Moms are custom fitted and she doesnt have the dexterity to put them in. Combined with her anxiety and all the other issues there is a near meltdown if you even suggest trying again. Which is too bad because my Dad could put them in for her. But he won't think of it himself (Alzheimers) and she will never ask. Im hoping if we can get different tips put on they will be more manageable. But not holding my breath. Fun times!