This isn't a post about the first signs noticed, but I thought I'd put it here in case it helps someone else. We all know how difficult it is to get someone with dementia to understand things. Besides the dementia, my husband has hearing loss, and for a long time, wouldn't wear his hearing aids. I would get so irritated with having to always repeat myself—and in a loud voice—and that was when I was in the same room. If I was in another room—well, let's just say it's good that we live in the woods because neighbors in town would have gotten sick and tired of my shouting. My throat gets easily irritated and would often be sore, and the whole situation made me very bitchy since I couldn't help but think my husband refusing to wear the aids was inconsiderate.

Anyway, we started noticing static coming from the aids when he did wear them. I could even hear it across the room. I made an appointment at the place we got them from. Turns out we were supposed to go back every 18 months to two years to be rechecked. They probably told us that, but I don't recall it. The doctor cleaned quite a bit of wax from his ears, tested his hearing again, and it had gotten worse. The hearing aids needed to be adjusted for the new loss, but it turned out they weren't working at all. The woman said it would have been like having plugs in his ears. She replaced some part in the aids and reset them at 70% of what he needs. She said he needed such a drastic change that it couldn't all be done at once, but that a minute increase each day is automatic until it gets to wear it should be.

Now I put them in his ears every morning, and I seldom have to talk any louder than I would in normal conversation. Yes, he often still doesn't understand what I mean, but he at least hears the actual words I say. It's been such an improvement for me—and I'm sure for him, too. I can imagine that it would be bad enough to not be able to remember and understand a lot of things, but then to live as if cotton was in your ears had to be miserable. If he had all his faculties, he would have recognized that there was a problem with the aids, but he couldn't.

Anyway, thought I'd post this in case anyone else is caring for a person who has hearing aids and can't seem to hear what is said in spite of them.