Chance to win £250 - share with Specsavers - as a hearing care centre - your tips and experience on encouraging older family members to have a hearing test NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We have been working with the team at Specsavers - as a hearing care centre - over on our sister site, Gransnet on all things hearing.

There's some great content here.

Specsavers say "It's no secret that there's a bit of a stigma surrounding age-related hearing loss - not surprisingly; and the clue is in the name, that it's age-related.... so having hearing loss isn't something that people always want to admit to as they get older. This can be a big drawback when it comes to getting the issue sorted. Left unresolved though, hearing loss can affect every aspect of life, especially the things that are most important such as relationships with family and friends".

With this in mind, if you suspect age related hearing loss in a relative or close friend, what would you do? Have you ever had to gently encourage your parents to go and get their hearing tested? Did they realise it was bad or were they in denial? What signs of age related hearing loss have you noticed with your family?

We know from a recent survey with gransnetters that this is an issue for a large number - especially at Christmas

Please share any tips and experience of this on this thread and you would win a £250 voucher for the store of your choice (from a list).

thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Please add your comment by 2 January 2015. Standard Insight T&Cs apply

I've emailed specsavers several times to try and arrange appointments for hear tests and nobody has ever got back to us.

My DF refuses to wear his hearing aids, which is really frustrating. I don't know why but it makes my mum's life a misery, with the TV at mega volume and having to shout for him to hear.

I was diagnosed with mild hearing loss in my 30's. After initially fearing wearing hearing aids I absolutely love mine. It's tiny and my friends didn't realise I wore one until I showed them. I don't know if my hearing is the 'same' as before, but it's certainly given me back my social life.

No denial here - my mum loves going to the GP, Optician etc. As children, the easiest way to cheer her up was to be sick or have a dodgy tooth!
I noticed in my last visit to Specsavers that they have a hearing centre, and rhought it would m?k? a 'nice' day out with my mum! :)

I think the main problem is a lack of a sense of urgency. My mum was quite prepared to go for a hearing test, she knew we told her how loud she needed her TV to be, but she never made the effort to find the time.

Knowing that she was at least open to the idea, I simply made the appointment myself & made sure my husband drover her there.

She was very grateful that she did not have to spend time organising it herself, as that is what she had been putting off

For me it has been an impossible task. Have tried several times to no avail!

My parents are in their eighties. My dad has always been partially deaf in one ear so has been tested, albeit irregularly, for many years. He has bulky but fiddly hearing aids, and struggles to get them in comfortably. They often whistle and crackle and he gives up. But then he can't join in conversations especially if there is a lot of background noise. The tv is on loud but he complains that people mumble these days!! My mum has also been given one hearing aid but never bothers to use it.
My mil was in denial for many years, was so secretive and embarrassed to tell us she had finally had a test. For too long we had to repeat ourselves, have the tv or radio on really loud, translate for my dcs when they were little and had quiet voices. She enjoys theatre and cinema and was struggling to listen when there was background music. She hates the fact that she is getting older, which is why she battled on for so long.
I think a positive marketing campaign would be the way forward, I work with children with HI and they are generally much more adaptable. I think a little acceptance and perspective is needed, especially if it improves the quality of life.

Talk more quietly than you usually do, so if they ask you to repeat or mishear you, you can broach the subject more easily !

I had a chat with my grandparent to no avail...it was only when she realised herself that she couldn't hear the grand children that she went for test. Hearing aids are quite discreet now.

I think the best tip is to find a friend who has a similar relative that has gone through this and can have a talk with them - it is very upsetting and i know one of my relatives was in denial - i suppose to them it was admitting they were getting older, well thats how it was seen by them, but to me it just meant a little help was needed. I think its a difficult one but only someone who has been through it and can show your relative the massive benefits of getting a hearing aid and how it can make their life so much easier and they can feel part of the party again!!! Its no fun to feel excluded from most of the conversation but if someone who has gone through it all can explain how much better life is with one, and how they got through the adjustment of using a hearing aid they will feel better knowing they are not alone and its a problem that can be resolved,

I have tried to raise the issue with my mum (75) who's shown the early signs of hearing loss, but she's so super independent so everything has to be on her terms. She loves listening to the radio though, so if it started to affect her enjoyment of that then I think that would prompt her to take a hearing test!

My gran wouldn't wear a hearing aid until my mum took her for a hearing test. I think when the advice comes from a professional and it's written in black and white there is much more chance of success.

My mother's hearing is declining so I keep patient and speak more slowly these days but have mentioned a hearing test - she is still reticent at the moment but will certainly encourage her and go with her if it gets worse

I would explain to Grandma that she would enjoy my jokes more if she could hear me :) But I think she knew what she was doing holding off ;)

This is a very difficult one. If they ask your opinion outright then it is easier but the older members in my family were so stubborn that if a suggestion came from me it would make them more determined not to get a test!

My Nana has hearing difficulties from working in the cotton mills so she lip reads. She always makes me laugh when she says 'sorry I can't hear you, I haven't got my glasses on'

My mother in law's hearing and eyesight are getting worse and she just refuses to accept there is anything wrong. I don't know if it's the image of the old fashioned chunky hearing aid but I think there needs to be some sort of campaign where people can see how unobtrusive they are now.

I also think there is not enough education for young people on how their hearing can be damaged. Every time a young person passes me in their car with the windows up and I can hear every word of the music they're playing I wonder if they realise the problems they will have in later life.

my mother in law is a bit hard of hearing, we always have to repeat ourselves 2 or 3 times before she hears us, can be quite annoying at times it looks like she's not listening but now know it's her hearing. she talks very loud and has the tv on quite loud and doesn't realize it's on loud so we have to keep telling her to turn it down and speak quieter, especially when my little one is asleep.

My husband has been losing his hearing for some time, but is in denial. It's amusing sometimes, but annoying on other occasions! Despite my best attempts he refuses to go to the Dr. He's not that old, so I think it's because he doesn't think he's old enough to have a hearing aid. I think it;'s strange that there is still a huge stigma attached to hearing aids, but not glasses.

I try to be subtle - like if there's an article about it in a magazine I'm reading I'll bring it up and talk about how everyone should go for a regular check...

It is pretty easy for me as I am partially deaf, which everyone knows. If they put the tv on when I am not wearing my hearing aid and it is too loud for me it is pretty clear they are deaf. My brother seems to be immune to this logic though.

I say the doctor recommended it, gran does what he says!

I don't think my parents would be in denial if hearing loss became an issue with them. They would be worried though about any on-going costs (they don't like going to the optician or dentist in case it reveals something that they'd have to pay for). So I would do some research into what they might have to pay for and what help they'd be able to get, so they're not having to face unexpected costs.

Although I have to repeat almost everything that I say to my 76 year old Mom, she still insists that there's nothing wrong with her hearing. She even said that she enjoyed saying the word what :-o I've even tried saying that she wears glasses for her eyes & her ears are just as important but she wont budge. I don't like to keep going on as I feel like I'm bullying her. I'm just refusing to repeat myself now.

My dad's hearing has been getting progressively worse for years - he knew it was time to get a hearing aid when he went for a standard check up at the doctor and couldn't hear the question about how good his hearing was.

There was an article somewhere (some older person newspaper magazine) about how important hearing test were, how they were your right to a free one and such nonsense which helped a bit.