What do you do when someone is in denial about their hearing loss?

kirstenhw If you accompany Mom to Dr. - tell Dr. of your frustration. when DR. gives advice - then it will b coming from an Authority - Not just from child. My Mom would follow dr. orders quite well. My sympathies.

@kristenhw

Hi,

Resistance to wearing aids is so common in older people and may be due to an inability to adapt to change. Finding out why is important as the aids may be uncomfortable or the sound too loud. Resistance to taking medications is also common. People have suggested, especially if you are dealing with someone who has cognitive impairment, to give the medication in a completely calm environment..ie no tv or other distractions. There are also suggestions to not let them see the pill bottles as they get overwhelmed if there are too many. I think a calm environment might be the key so they feel more secure. Lord knows patience is required and can be so difficult on the part of the caregiver.

FL Mary

Agree, seeing the ENT about possible ear wax buildup is a great first step!

She is not avoiding helping herself, it just looks that way. Let her know you love her and that you see how scary her world has become for her. She is afraid and the world isn't making sense anymore. I hope she is in a safe situation with loving caregivers who can take the time to coax her into taking the meds and using the HAs. You're such an amazing daughter, you care so deeply. Breathe through the hard moments, celebrate the decent moments and take good care of yourself.

Have had H Aids for 2 years. Very unhappy with them. Extraneous noise makes conversation extremely difficult. One on one is fine. Don't expect too much.

Welcome to Connect, @91retiree. I thought you might like to read this Mayo Clinic article:
– Hearing aids: How to choose the right one https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/in-depth/hearing-aids/art-20044116
Would you share a few more details about yourself? What type of hearing aid do you have? Have you consulted with an audiologist?

Did all that. Was prescribed Widex hearing aids. Unhappy in crowed situations. Hoping for future improvements.

Just jumping back in to Mayo Clinic Connect as I've not received any posts for over a month. Not sure why. Just wanted to point that out before commenting.

A big issue we who have hearing loss deal with is negative stigma. Why is there such negative stigma related to hearing loss? It runs pretty deep, but is partly because attitudes about hearing loss and deafness have evolved over generations that often categorized hearing loss as an affliction of the old and feeble minded, or of the dumb. Dumb meaning not quite with it or stupid. Many of us grew up hearing the term 'Deaf and dumb', which is a very negative statement. OK. It sounds like something from the dark ages now, but it was very common not all that long ago. Today, we have manufacturers and sellers of hearing aids marketing the kind of denial that furthers that sort of language. Have you ever seen an advertisement for a hearing aid that doesn't tell you how small it is? How no one will know you're wearing it? Etc.?? Isn't it time to start advertising the benefits without all that negativity? Marketing denial just furthers the stigmas that prevent so many from admitting they have trouble hearing, much less getting help for it.

I had a damaged inner ear because of big gun explosion in the military service..left ear is just decoration. I wanted the VA to provide them and they finally did.. rechargable, with Bluetooth / microphone that works with my smartphone.. the left hearing aid receives sound but sends it to the right ear to amplify.. using the volume control is important .. as one gets used to living in a less noisey world.. I still use closed captioning on the TV to compensate for English accents and such. I would always keep the person that I wanted to hear on my right, good ear side... The phone using that Bluetooth remote microphone is really great.. prices are going down, I would never buy from those who have such big advertisements... Get a really good audiology Dept. Like Mayo as they test for balance too..

Well SAID! I am wearing my cochlear processors proudly. I am blond and got my N7 in Black. I’m so thrilled to understand speech again. I’ve always worn my HAs out and proud and have educated so many folks about hearing loss. It IS about time for HA manufacturers to ditch the stigmatizing language and focus on how wonderful assistive devices for hearing are!