Dads Hearing Aid adventure. 13/6/22
Dad has been getting more and more difficult to understand. He is talking, but using words that don't make sense. He is not responding as much when you being talk too him either. Now this could be for many reasons. He is very dyslexic, and could easily be muddling words up due to this.
It is interesting to know that dyslexia is not taken in to account by the dementia specialists. Having sat in on many of Dads tests I know that I would be on the dementia scale. From a dyslexia test I have no short term memory. It would make an interesting study to see if there is any link, or any way for them to understand the difference!
Dad has hearing aids. There has been studies to show that there is a direct link between hearing loss and dementia. So we set about getting Dad a hearing test. This is not as easy as you would think. After many telephone calls we eventually got a hearing aid check up locally, he does panic on long journeys, and to him a long time is more than 20 minutes or so. Apparently Dad has lots of wax and this was clogging up the aids and his ears which may affect his hearing ability.
The next problem was getting Dads ears cleaned. That took a few more telephone calls to different places. Eventually he did go to Youlgreave surgery.
The easiest appointment to get was to have new moulds made. On Monday I took Dad to the Whitworth hospital to for this. I came up to collect him early. It takes about 15 minutes now to get him in the car, and that is on top of getting him ready to go out. I explain that we are going out to have someone look at his ears. He mishears ears. I have to repeat and point to his ears. He then is worried.
“how we are going to get there?”
“ I am going to drive you down to the Whitworth”
“where is it?”
“Just down the hill Dad, the Whitworth Hospital” This was a mistake to mention hospital.
“Where? Am I staying? Is it far? Will you leave me?”
“Its not far, you will be coming home afterwards, I will not leave you, I will come in with you!
“in whos car?”
“My car, the blue one,”
“do you have enough petrol?”
“yes”
“where are we going?” I have learnt not to mention hospital.
“The whitworth so someone can look at your ears”
These questions carry on for a bit. Dad can not question and walk at the same time and we need to go. I take Dads hand and manage to get him to the correct car. The questions continue all the way down the hill. Just stay calm and answer each question.
We park and have to walk a small distance.
“Is it far, my leg hurt”
“Not far Dad just to that door”
Dad has to read every sign. He is concerned that He hasn't got a mask. I register us in and go to the audiological waiting area of 3 chairs. Dad is still reading signs. We have to hand sanitize, since there is a sign.
He then tells me that
“we have them at home, wooden ones that go up to the place. They stop you flying” I am looking round trying to work out what stops you flying and is wood. Its always a good guessing game, and it helps if you can try and think like Dad. Eventually I go with
“those are hand rails”
“yes, they stop you from flying, they are very useful”
Dad is very good while having the putty in his ears. He really doesn't like it but sits there and lonely try s to pull it out once. He tells the audiologist who I am and that his brain isn't working properly. We book a hearing test and make our way out, again reading every sign he can find.