My Mom was here for the last ten days and it was an illuminating visit. It went well for the most part but she’s definitely more confused and more inwardly focused. Both of those traits saddened me as I miss my vibrant Mom that was more interested in her Grandkids and other people. oh well. One of the reason for some confusion is problems with hearing. She has hearing aids, but she still misses many words, or maybe she’s just not processing them as well. This is even more frustrating for all concerned when she’s on the phone. Does anyone have experience with phones that transcribe the conversations in real time like this one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZYHA1KI/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3RR38C9EQ6Y0B&colid=3O9IALT1RJZZQ&psc=0 We’re thinking of getting it for her for Christmas.
Will she be able to read and process script fast enough/well enough? There are also phone adaptors to increase volume. One problem is that hearing is sometimes lost more in one sound range than all. It’s not uncommon, eg, to have more trouble with higher pitched sounds or some higher female voices. Sometimes, the hearing aid can be adjusted.
@veruca So happy your mom is doing so well. The “take-away” isn’t surprising if you read the book. It is an interesting read. My personal take home after reading the book and attending the conference, is that the testing, diet, and supplement requirements are expensive and take motivation. It is only a program, IMO that can be done by a person with means, is motivated or has a motivated caregiver. Self motivation is something that leaves you in the early stages of the disease which is when the program would be useful. There is no way I could get my parent’s to adhere to sucha program, even 5 years ago. It surprised me that they focused on environmental toxins as a cause of cognitive decline.
I agree that it has helped us to try to speak slowly and deliberately as well as trying to make our voice a bit lower (without straining) so we could be heard when trying to communicate with someone who had hearing loss. Often it was the softer, higher-pitched voices that were hardest to be heard among our loved ones with hearing loss. Even our D was able to try to speak up and talk more slowly so she could be heard and understood.
I’d be curious if anyone has tried the voice to text phones as well. They COULD be useful for the right recipient.
I don’t know about phones for hearing loss. My parents still have remarkable hearing. But for those with hearing loss, I find the trick is to, in addition to speaking low and slow, look at them directly so they can read your lips.
My mother has a voice-to-text phone, which also has an answering machine feature.
She has been hard of hearing for years. My brother bought her the phone before her symptoms of dementia were significant enough to warrant evaluation. In other words, at that point in time she had limited short-term memory loss, occasionally repeating herself, which could at times have been rationalized as her not hearing a response; no signs of executive function decline.
She can still use the voice-to-text screen. The text is relatively large. At this point, the caller might have to remind her to read the screen.
The problem with the text feature is that it’s slow. The caller needs to wait for the text to catch up. Then, depending on the listener’s level of auditory comprehension, wait for the person to read the text. Bear in mind, some of the text can be garbled, similar to voice-to-text on a cell phone’s voice message app or dictation feature.
Two of my husbands Uncles have the speech to text phones and said they’ve made a big difference. I figure there’s nothing to lose except the expense of the phone. My Mom is a pretty good lip reader but that doesn’t work on the phone. Oftentimes, we will spell out a word that she doesn’t seem to be getting so I think it will work. But, who knows. I noticed that when she was reading a book while visiting, she was reading quite slowly and then re-read about 20 pages.
A friend of mine’s CS major son works for Grandpad which makes a tablet geared towards seniors. https://www.grandpad.net/
Well, the folks and everyone had a fine trip and arrived back in great spirits. They returned yesterday, went to restaurant to celebrate dad’s 93rd birthday with a whichever family members could attend last night and went to a Christmas party tonight with my sister and hundreds of other people.
I saw a device used by one of my residents which I believe is very helpful when one wants to hear what another person says to them as the main hearing issue - it is a headphone set with a mike that the speaker talks into. Speech therapy got it for the resident. Uncomplicated fix. I imagine having the mike up to the ear phone of the telephone can work as well.
I know when I have a resident that is hard of hearing, I will get close to their face, speak very slow and clear. Can tell by their responses that they hear and understand.
Just wanted to share this wonderful article about balancing when to step in and make care decisions. I am saving this to share with my mother.
My dear MIL passed away this morning.
We knew it was coming and still I was shocked. So many different thoughts are going through my mind and heart today. 
Condolences to you and your family, @SouthFloridaMom9. May memories be a comfort.
Thank you @travelnut . I really thought I would feel more of a sense of relief for her . . .
Condolences to you and your family @SouthFloridaMom9.
It’s still a loss, @SouthFloridaMom9 , even if it’s a relief. Hugs to you.
So sorry, @SouthFloridaMom9. May her memory be a blessing.
Sure, it’s a relief that her suffering is over, but it leaves a hole in your life. At least that’s what it felt like to me when my dad was gone.
So sorry @SouthFloridaMom9!
Condolences.
@SouthFloridaMom9 , it is hard, especially this time of year. Condolences to the whole family.
Yes, it can be a blessing but still a painful thing to process. You deserve to feel what ever you feel.