My elderly father doesn't have long to live. Should he be fit with hearing aids?

I personally do not like to fit hearing aids on someone when they are on their death bed. I just don't feel "OK" about it. I usually recommend a Pocketalker rather than a hearing aid if someone does not have long to live (six months or less). A Pocketalker is an assistive listening device with a small headset or ear buds which can help someone hear without the time and expense of hearing aids. I would use this as a short-term solution for hearing loss because to wear a Pocketalker you have to carry around a square palm sized amplifier and wear a headset with a cord so it is a little cumbersome compared to a small hearing aid worn on an ear.

Once in a while someone will tell me, "I can't take my money with me when I go so why shouldn't I spend it on hearing aids so I can hear my last days." And I will fit them even though their health is failing as long as they have the money to spare and twist my arm. My personal comfortable rule of thumb is if a person is going to live six months or longer then certainly get hearing aids. This will allow you to hear your best your last days and sometimes we live much longer than was expected. Everyone deserves to be able to hear but hearing aids are expensive and they take some time to fit. If someone only has a short time left do they really want to spend it in a hearing aid office? That is not how I would want to spend my last few hours, days or months, or how I would want my patients to spend their last hours. Although I love my patients they should be with their families if time is short not in my office.

I once had a healthy older gentleman tell me he didn't want to invest in hearing aids because he was over 80 years old and he didn't even buy green bananas anymore. He thought he didn't have long to live. Five years later he bought hearing aids and said, "I wish I had done this earlier." He struggled to hear for five years instead of investing in his hearing and quality of life. Communication with friends and family is priceless and worth the time and cost of being fit with hearing aids.

Some older patients don't feel that they are worth spending money on because they are old. I love it when the kids pitch in and decide to purchase hearing aids for their elderly parents. What a generous gift the gift of hearing well is. I do not like it when I can tell that the kids don't want their parents spending money that may be left to them. I hear stingy selfish kids say to their parents, "Oh you can get along without hearing aids, your hearing isn't that bad, we can put up with you." After I just explained the audiogram and the patient NEEDS hearing aids to be able to communicate. I lose all respect for those kinds of people. If one of my family members needed a hearing aid and couldn't afford it I would do whatever I had to do to get it for them.

Other things I may do for someone on their death bed is nurse their old aids along by cleaning them or refurbishing them so they work as good as they can. If someone is feeble and ill and all that someone has left to enjoy is a little TV time then they should get a good TV listener so they can at least enjoy watching TV.

Dr. Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist and can be reached at (208) 664-2767. Every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, Dr. Flynn provides free earwax removal, hearing aid cleanings, in office hearing aid repairs and hearing screenings at 1601 Third St. in Coeur d'Alene.