Okay. I admit it. I need hearing aids...

[SWBTATTReg]

59. Thanks for the info. I will check into. Take care, and thanks again for the info. It's ...

interesting to hear the link re. Alzheimer's, dementia, etc. I'm not surprised, there is so much that we are still learning about the senses of the body and other illnesses and negative conditions that we hear about when one gets up in years.

Fortunately (not the hearing loss), I was caught in time that I was hard of hearing...they didn't catch until I was 9 years old (then I was considered 'mentally challenged', early 60s timeframe). Ever since I gotten the aids, I feel like the whole world has opened up to me.

And still today, I'm still learning stuff regarding the hearing world and all that I missed during the formative years of my youth. I still have a sense of wonder at what I missed. Don't get me wrong, all of my friends all know that I am hard of hearing, so they all take the additional steps to deal with me (and the extra help they give me is wonderful), they turn on the CC on the television, they make sure that I'm looking at them (I read lips), they repeat stuff to me all of the time.

I say this because some people (not many) seem to get frustrated or stressed about repeating themselves to those who are hard of hearing or someone didn't hear them the first time. Hard of hearing is an unseen handicap.

Take advantage of every little trick you can think of, to help your hearing loss, For example, when I was in the hospital, I made them put a sign on the door, that there's a hard of hearing person in the room (people were coming in during the dark hours, saying stuff to me, and all I hear was mumbling (and it was dark, I couldn't read their lips)).

I tell everyone first thing when they meet me that I'm hard of hearing. I do this so they will be aware that if I missed something during a conversation, they won't get a little upset that I didn't respond (because I didn't hear them). My dogs even help me for they let me know that someone has rang the doorbell. Or that the mail has come, etc. Take advantage of all the help you can get from the hearing world.

Of course hearing aids don't do everything but they sure go a long way towards helping. Hopefully your friend is doing good w/ their hearing aids!