Hearing aids for people with dementia

[diablo]

Maybe I've not looked hard enough yet but I can't find much on any special hearing aids for folk with dementia. Please feel free to point out my error if I am wrong.

My mother has been in a home for a couple of months and I mentioned to the manageress today about hearing aids. She said it probably wasn't worth the bother as they get lost very quickly and they find other residents wearing them !

Now obviously this isn't a new issue, do they do any special versions for dementia sufferers.

My initial thoughts are to get some normal ones and superglue them with gold coloured chains to a necklace so they can't go very far.

Any thoughts or advice please.

Plus, do they make nuclear powered ones as she will never turn them off at night.

 

[Christin]

Hello Diablo, it is an interesting point about hearing aids. We too failed to find one for people who have a dementia.

FIL has worn one for years, and he does continue to wear it in the NH. Sometimes when we visit it isn't working and he seems to hear better without it. Also it is quite badly affected if he has a cold etc, it gets damp and we have brought it home before to dry it, we were told the best place to do this is an airing cupboard.

When he first had the hearing aid he would fiddle with it, press buttons and pull it apart. MY OH attended an appointment at the clinic with him and they were able to programme the hearing aid so that it would not be affected by the fiddling Now it is simply turned on and off by pulling the battery lose, something FIL cannot do anymore.

The hearing aid did go missing on one occasion but was found, it is named, and I have heard they can be engraved.

We are not really sure the hearing aid benefits FIL in any way except that he seems to find some comfort from wearing it and will ask for it, by pointing to his ear.

Best wishes, and good luck with your search

 

[diablo]

You make a good point about the controls, Cristin. That is something I was a bit bothered about. Mum had a pair of hearing aids with volume/tone and on/off switches but always set them at random and would never turn them off when removed. That was a few years ago when she wasn't too bad.

I've just ordered the simplest possible digital in-ear hearing aid with no controls at all. It gets turned on when the battery is inserted. As it is tiny I will be glueing it to a chain as mentioned earlier - otherwise it will go missing within 24 hours.

In theory the batteries will last for 90 hours, so will need changing every four days.

Well, it is a plan of sorts. The odds on it working - not high.

 

[robertjohnmills]

Speaking in a professional capacity

Hi there,

Well lets address the attitude of the Care Home! Ignorant and lacking in sympathy! It is above contempt to suggest that Dementia patients gain no benefit and lose them anyway!!

Yes there are always solutions to problems. So lets start with what benefit; There is clinical evidence that music and other environmental sound have a relaxing effect. Even when the understanding or recognition of speech has gone. Much worse is isolation from all around and possibly the perception of tinnitus, which increase anxiety. So now we have a case for wearing hearing aids lets look at the problems faced.

Losing them: There are hearing aid ear retainers and clips that enable the client to remove but not to lose. Some will stop them being removed very easily!! It should be looked at why one thinks they are being removed? (Are they set incorrectly?)

Batteries: Most hearing aids use disposable zinc / air batteries. They normally last around about 100 to 140 hours. Staff should be trained to maintain them as they would give a bath, brush teeth etc. eg. Every week in Care Plane clean and de-wax aid and change battery.

Identifying: They can be marked with ID. The best way is to ask relative to take to dispensing department and request ID to casing.

There are more sophisticated solutions for private hearing aids but I have assumed these are NHS hearing aids. Any more advice please get back to me on a PM. Hope this was of some help

 

[robertjohnmills]

Addendum

Sorry forgot to address the controls issue;

True you could buy private hearing aid with no exterior controls for relative to play with, but if your using a standard NHS Behind the Ear those ear retainers are a God send. When in place they cover the volume control and on/off switches very tightly and unless your relative is Houdini they will not be able to access the controls.

 

[vdg]

We have given up with hearing aids. When Mum went into the ch she had a pair of little in ear digital ones which she had bought privately at great cost when she was "ok". These very soon got lost.We suspect she wrapped them in a tissue and threw them away with it but we can't be sure. After several months without , during which time we all got increasingly frustrated, I took her to get some NHS ones. Wiythin days they were lost-turning up in the bin in her loo neatly wrapped in a dirty pad
The staff cleaned them up and dried them out and we tried again, then Mum discovered you can take them to bits and put all the parts in different places.Since then we haven't bothered her with them.She is happier without and we just accept that we have to speak loudly, slowly and clearly several times over. The NHS review is due soon so I guess I shall have to pay for them but never mind-at least we tried!!
Viv

 

[diablo]

I have ordered a neck chain for her glasses and am thinking of attaching the hearing aid to the chain - by another chain. So hopefully it won't get lost very easily and the CH will remove the glasses and hearing aid when she is bathed.

I told mum yesterday that I had ordered a new hearing aid and she seemed pleased. Though it seems that sometimes she just doesn't want to hear.

Will let you know how I get on with the project.

 

[diablo]

The little £99 digital in-ear aid arrived and I tried it out on myself first. Unless it is fitted 'just so' it tends to whistle - so it is a non-starter I think.

So I've ordered a fairly simple digital 'behind the ear' model from the same on-line company for £299. That hopefully won't get the same level of feedback to cause the whistle.

I should be able to fix that to the chain with carefully cut up Duct tape, glue doesn't want to stick to the first one at all.

Ah well, you live and learn.

 

[robertjohnmills]

Big mistake I'm afraid

Hi Diablo,
I am sorry to say but your choice of buying an aid on line is not a wise choice. It was not even legal a few years ago, but due to loopholes in the law, avarice by big companies and exploitation of the vulnerable, it is now possible to buy them on line. The problem is that they do not have a prescription to fit, will never be around when you need help and sadly you will have wasted more money! Please get it done properly either by the local NHS or a Private provider who is reputable!! But for Gods sake don't buy on line! You would order a pair of prescription glasses this way?

 

[diablo]

But for Gods sake don't buy on line! You would order a pair of prescription glasses this way?

Well I could try to get prescription ones - but I understand the tests require active participation which she may not be able to provide.

As this is more of an experiment to see if she will actually use the things anyway I don't really want to spend £1200 privately or wait nearly a year for the NHS to come through with some (as my cousin is doing).

Her hearing loss is only moderate so almost anything would help a bit - in fact I wondered if they still sold ear trumpets.

Anyway, thanks for your concern.

p.s. the company do actually have an on-line hearing test. I may try her with it.

 

[diablo]

Got new aid in post today. Fitted it to mum before taking her to look round possible new care home. After I fitted it I said "Can you hear me now" and she said "Of course I can hear you", which made me smile as I'd usually have to say it three times loudly.

It fell off as we were looking round home, so I'll have to try the chain solution to make sure it doesn't go too far.