When Your Parents have Difficulty Hearing, Senior Care at Home Can Help

It is not unusual as your parent ages for them to have impaired hearing. However, senior care at home specialists remind us that your mother or father may not be aware that they have a deficiency. Typically, the hearing loss happened over time and they have grown used to their impairment. Recent studies show that over 37.5 million Americans are experiencing hearing loss. Your parents or loved ones may be in the 30 percent of folks that can benefit from hearing aids.

Professionals who specialize in senior care at home have heard all the reasons why individuals like your mom or dad don’t or won’t consider hearing aids: cost, appearance and the technology that produces excessive sounds or feedback. The cost for most individuals is $4,500 a pair and insurance rarely covers any portion of these devices. Your mother or father may want to hear more clearly but do not want large unsightly aids poking out of their ears or around their ears lobes. In the end, through patience and some trial an error, a comfortable solution can usually surface.

How can professionals who care for seniors at home help?

Senior caregivers help serve as an outside voice and provide perspective to your mom or dad from a third party. Experts can emphasize that it is crucial to have a certified licensed doctor examine mom or dad’s hearing to rule out any other medical issues. After meeting with a doctor, if hearing aids are recommended, they can encourage them to consult with an audiologist that specializes in hearing loss in older adults. They can even accompany them and remind them of appointments.

If the choice is made to wear hearing aids, mom or dad should wear them regularly just as they would their glasses or dentures. A Visiting Angels caregiver can work with your family member to remind them to wear their hearing aids and communicate if they are experiencing difficulties. Since caregivers work with seniors every day, they can look for signs that might indicate an adjustment needs to be made. It will take time and patience to support your mother or father through the process of learning to hear once again with their devices.

If your loved one is struggling with making a change to improve their hearing, home caregivers can help to guide them through the process and work with you and your family to improve their quality of life! In the end, they will be happy to see a positive change in their day to day interactions. Visiting Angels of Nashua provides in home care to Merrimack, Hudson, Litchfield, Pelham, Windham, Amherst, Milford, Hollis, Brookline, and Mont Vernon, and other cities surrounding Nashua, New Hampshire.