Older Parent Not Hearing As Well? Some Tips To Help Them
If you notice your older parent is talking much louder than normal and is constantly asking you to repeat yourself, they likely have some type of hearing loss. If so, below are some tips on how you can help them so they can get their hearing back.
Make Sure It Is Not Ear Wax
The problem could not be with their hearing—they may have excessive ear wax clogging up their ears. This can happen to anyone, but especially to someone that is older.
Besides not hearing well, ears clogged up with wax can cause other symptoms. For example, your parent may experience dizziness and/or pain in the ears. Their ears will feel full, and they may hear a constant ringing sound.
Your parent should never use a cotton swab to remove the wax, as this may push the wax deeper into the ear canal. There are ear wax removal kits on the market that your parent can try to see if they can unclog their ears on their own. The product will come with complete instructions. If they cannot get the wax out, they should see their doctor to have it removed.
Wear a Hearing Aid
If your parent does not have ear wax in their ears, take them to an otologist to have their hearing checked. If the doctor determines they have hearing problems, they will suggest your parent wear a hearing aid.
There are different hearing aid styles your parent can choose from. They come in different sizes and prices. One type is the smallest hearing aid that is hardly visible in the ear. These are known as completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids, and they can help if their hearing loss is mild to moderate. Because these hearing aids are deep into the ear canal, your parent will not hear a lot of wind noise. They do not have volume control, however.
There are also in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids your parent can choose. These aids are molded to fit partly into the ear canal. These hearing aids work well if your parent has mild to moderate hearing loss. These hearing aids do have volume control
Another type of hearing aid is in-the-ear (ITE), which comes in two different styles. One style fits most of the outer ear, and the other fits only the lower part of the ear. These work great for someone that has mild to very severe hearing loss. These hearing aids include volume control, and because the batteries are large, they last longer when compared to small models. The doctor can determine which style would work best.
Contact a company like Pacific Hearing Care to learn more.
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