We are so confused. When we saw Mum on Thurs, she said that she couldn't hear anything, even with her hearing aids in - she said they need new batteries, I said I didn't think so as we had changed them last week and the carers disconnect them at bedtime - I checked them both and they don't look dirty, nor do her hears, I left telling her I would contact the audiology department on Monday. I rang her today and she spoke to me really well, answering my questions etc with no problem at all, but once I mentioned her hearing aids, she completed changed, said they weren't working and she couldn't hear me and reverted back to being deaf - is this normal- similar things have happened eith her eyesight - she says she cannot see anything at all but then out of the blue will pick something up and read it - has anyone else experienced anything like this?
To hear or not to hear!
- Thread starter 6FNAUTICLUB
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Hi
This happened with my mum. Both with her nearing and eyesight
I had a strong feeling that in mums case it was information overload that stopped her hearing, or maybe understanding, what was going on or said so she "blamed" the hearing aids. I used to test the batteries in the hearing aid by putting them close to me rings, and if they didn't squeak, I changed the batteries. I had no end of issues getting replacement hearing aids, getting them repaired as mum would fiddle with them, then in the end, as she seemed to cope better without them, I didn't replace the last pair of aids when they went missing.
With mums eyesight, she had a very strong prescription, but towards the end it seemed she was happier not wearing her glasses as, again, I think it was a case of too much information to deal with when she had her glasses on.
Hope this helps
Yes absolutely. Dad has worn hearing aids for a few years now but in the last few months deaf as a post. Nurse looked in ears and full of wax so olive oil twice a day for a fortnight and nurse syringed his ears last week or whatever they do. No improvement if not worse than before. I have been almost yelling sometimes and then today he says he can't hear me when I shout 
He has varifocals and reasonably good vision at last check despite early stages of cataracts. They are advanced enough for him to have treatment although he refused but he could see better than I could before my lazer surgery , yet sometimes he seems to be blind as a bat and appears not to see huge things or close things or distant things- no particular pattern. It appears to me that the messages are being received sometimes from eyes and ears but the brain is not processing them. Does that make sense?
Will be interesting to see what the audiologist says this week
He has varifocals and reasonably good vision at last check despite early stages of cataracts. They are advanced enough for him to have treatment although he refused but he could see better than I could before my lazer surgery , yet sometimes he seems to be blind as a bat and appears not to see huge things or close things or distant things- no particular pattern. It appears to me that the messages are being received sometimes from eyes and ears but the brain is not processing them. Does that make sense?
Will be interesting to see what the audiologist says this week
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Yes absolutely. Dad has worn hearing aids for a few years now but in the last few months deaf as a post. Nurse looked in ears and full of wax so olive oil twice a day for a fortnight and nurse syringed his ears last week or whatever they do. No improvement if not worse than before. I have been almost yelling sometimes and then today he says he can't hear me when I shout
He has varifocals and reasonably good vision at last check despite early stages of cataracts. They are advanced enough for him to have treatment although he refused but he could see better than I could before my lazer surgery , yet sometimes he seems to be blind as a bat and appears not to see huge things or close things or distant things- no particular pattern. It appears to me that the messages are being received sometimes from eyes and ears but the brain is not processing them. Does that make sense?
Will be interesting to see what the audiologist says this week
Thank you xx
Hearing loss is complex and adding dementia to the mix just presents a further complication.
i don't know enough to explain how it works but I would not make any judgement unless you have had the experience of a) hearing loss and all its varieties and b) dementia and all its varieties.
i don't know enough to explain how it works but I would not make any judgement unless you have had the experience of a) hearing loss and all its varieties and b) dementia and all its varieties.
"Oh goodness this is my husband too! I've already posted earlier about glasses..."
It can be a steep learning curve.
I think you are overcoming the first problem in realising the curve's existence.
Keep posting, lots of members have 'got the tee-shirt'.
It can be a steep learning curve.
I think you are overcoming the first problem in realising the curve's existence.
Keep posting, lots of members have 'got the tee-shirt'.
It can definitely be difficult to tell what is "just" a "physical" problem with sight or hearing, and what is the dementia, and how that's all interacting. I have been through that, not with hearing, but with my mother and her vision. It is very challenging. Both her eye doctor and my opticians were able to make some helpful suggestions, however, so it may be worth discussing with physicians and medical professionals.
My mother's ability to read--not just to comprehend, but to read written words--varies significantly, not only from day to day, but from moment to moment. She also experiences visual hallucinations, and, more commonly, will "mis-interpret" something she actually sees. For example, a seagull becomes an eagle, or a reflection is an actual person. Again, this fluctuates all the time.
There may be helpful, or at least interesting, information here:
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20064/symptoms/213/sight_and_hearing_loss
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20029/daily_living/22/staying_healthy/9
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20064/symptoms/110/perception_and_hallucinations
http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/We-can-h...ning-and-diagnosis/cognitive-and-hearing-loss
Very best wishes and hope you are able to find a way forward. Dealing with dementia is a heck of a learning curve.
My mother's ability to read--not just to comprehend, but to read written words--varies significantly, not only from day to day, but from moment to moment. She also experiences visual hallucinations, and, more commonly, will "mis-interpret" something she actually sees. For example, a seagull becomes an eagle, or a reflection is an actual person. Again, this fluctuates all the time.
There may be helpful, or at least interesting, information here:
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20064/symptoms/213/sight_and_hearing_loss
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20029/daily_living/22/staying_healthy/9
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20064/symptoms/110/perception_and_hallucinations
http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/We-can-h...ning-and-diagnosis/cognitive-and-hearing-loss
Very best wishes and hope you are able to find a way forward. Dealing with dementia is a heck of a learning curve.
Some days my mum can hear us, some days she can't.
I have given up on hearing aids as she finds them too complex, I only visit once a week, and she doesn't understand them.
I find if I talk slowly and clearly she can 'hear' better, which I assume is down to the processing issue rather than actual hearing.
Before diagnosis when I finally (after 5 attempts) spoke very loudly (or maybe shouted) she said no need to shout, I heard you the first time, and in her head she had heard the first time, and was processing it all the time.
For a while she could hear me on the phone, even though she couldn't' hear me when she saw me face to face, and I think there is a slower pace of conversation on the phone, and less other distractions.
She had hearing aids for a good few years and used them correctly before the above issues arose, so there is some deafness, but the dementia definitely plays a big part.
I have given up on hearing aids as she finds them too complex, I only visit once a week, and she doesn't understand them.
I find if I talk slowly and clearly she can 'hear' better, which I assume is down to the processing issue rather than actual hearing.
Before diagnosis when I finally (after 5 attempts) spoke very loudly (or maybe shouted) she said no need to shout, I heard you the first time, and in her head she had heard the first time, and was processing it all the time.
For a while she could hear me on the phone, even though she couldn't' hear me when she saw me face to face, and I think there is a slower pace of conversation on the phone, and less other distractions.
She had hearing aids for a good few years and used them correctly before the above issues arose, so there is some deafness, but the dementia definitely plays a big part.
