How Can We Help My Mom Overcome Hearing Loss and Participate in Activities Again?
Dear Benchmark,
Do you have any suggestions for how I can keep her safe and still enjoy a vacation with my own family this holiday season?
My mom is in the process of selling her house and preparing to move to a senior living community. Since my father’s passing, she’s been living alone and it’s taken a toll. She’s lonely and has lost interest in many of her favorite pastimes. I know it is partly due to hearing loss.
I’ve been encouraging her to attend at least two events a week at the local senior center. Since she’s really bad about wearing her hearing aids, though, I know much of the programming is lost to her. She just can’t hear what is being said!
We are looking for a senior living community with a robust activity calendar to help her reconnect and make new friends. But, I’m concerned the struggle with her hearing will be the same.
Do you have any advice?
Kind Regards,
Jackie
Advanced Hearing Technology for Seniors
Dear Jackie,
We’ve heard this sentiment expressed by many adult children! Convincing a senior loved one to routinely wear their hearing aids is tougher than most people realize. Some seniors are reluctant to wear them because they think it makes them appear older, while others just plain forget to put them in before leaving home.
The good news is that there is newer technology some senior living communities are utilizing that can help with this challenge.
At Benchmark Senior Living, we’ve partnered with Eversound wireless technology. We use it at all of our Live Now, Live Well activities and events.
The technology couldn’t be easier! The speaker or group leader clips a microphone on to their lapel. Every resident who attends the program puts a wireless headset on. The headset has its own individual controls so the person wearing it can turn the volume up or down according to their preferences. The headset can even be worn with hearing aids.
Eversound is a solution that has been shown to increase resident participation in life enrichment activities by as much as 28% in some senior living communities!
One additional tip—if you find your mother isn’t routinely wearing her hearing aids after she moves to senior living, talk with the staff. The associates can remind her to put her hearing aids in each morning when they check in with her.
If you haven’t visited a Benchmark Senior Living community yet, we welcome the opportunity to show you around. You and your senior loved one can even join us for a few life enrichment programs of your choosing and test out Eversound for yourselves!
