My husband believes his hearing aids are broken but we've had them checked and rechecked. It seems that it is the way in which he processes information that confuses him and makes him think he isn't hearing. Does anyone have this problem with their spouse?
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8/ 3/11 7:53am
Hi Susan,
Nina is right on. Dementia changes the way people process information. It seems that a checkup is in order to see if medications or an infection could be affecting his processing, or if he, indeed, is experiencing dementia symptoms.
Since his hearing aids have been checked several times, it does seem that this is your next step. Early diagnosis is good, as there are not some medications that help some people put off the cognitive decline that accompanies Alzheimer's.
Take care and please check back with us,
Carol
8/ 2/11 3:25pm
Susan,
My FIL has stage 7 Alzheimer's. He does not wear hearing aids. According to the nurse in his residential home, he has a little bit of hearing loss if it is noisy.
However, he is now in the stage when he can no longer understand TV or movie and anything in the newspapers or books. He can read words, but that is all.
Back home, at times he would turn the TV volume all the way up to the loudest to listen to TV. The caregiver thought he had hearing loss. I think it is probably both. In fact, he hears quite well. When he does not understand, he tends to make it loud and drown out other noise/voice that confuses him.
If you are sure the hearing aids are Ok from the shops, then he probably has confusion about his hearing or he is confused that he is not hearing what he thinks he should hear. He may have trouble understanding what is going on and blame it on his own hearing aids.
He needs to be diagnosed if he has dementia, Hearing aid itself cannot help one to determine whether he has dementia or not. It may be one funny behavior, that is all. The specialst needs to diagnose him. They have the tools to determine what type of dementia he has.
Regards,
NC
8/ 2/11 5:41pm
Susan,
The other possibility is that he needs a new hearing aid. Did he have another test by the audiologist?
You seem to guess lots of dementia. It sounds like you are concerned and you are worried about dementia. It is good to be alert. But it is best to get the doctor look at it and diagnose it.
It could be just several new stuff that happens after he retired and etc.
The hearing aids sometimes need to be upgraded. Digital hearing aids are the best.
I wear hearing aids and so I know he should not expect that hearing aid is 100% perfect. For hearing loss, he may need to pick up other clues to help himself. Sometimes lipreading or TV caption helps.
Regards,
NC
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By Susan— Last Modified: 08/03/11, First Published: 08/02/11
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Thank you Carol.
Tom is a cusper, so to speak. He is early 1st stage and resents being tested or analyzed at this point. I will let it lie for awhile.