subject: Having A Hearing Test Done For Those With Early Dementia Symptoms [print this page] A hearing test may benefit early dementia cases. When someone is unable to hear, it might come across as strange to people. If an individual hears enough for general communication but then does not hear things that might not have been directed at them, it could make them appear awkward. It might seem that an individual is forgetful or withdrawn. Dementia is something of a mystery still. Not everyone who appears to have it has Alzheimer's disease. In some cases, symptoms might be caused by not being able to hear well. Other times, it may be due to the fact that they do have an issue like Alzheimer's that has caused their brain to forget how to hear.
If you have a loved one who forgets the day-to-day things, does not respond when spoken to, or perhaps mumbles a little, you might be afraid that they have had a stroke or are suffering from Alzheimer's. It is easy to jump to the worst-case scenario first. Before you have them admitted to a dementia ward, however, you might consider a hearing test first.
If your loved one does not pass the hearing test, it does not mean you are out of the woods with dementia. No doubt they will fit your loved one with aids to assist in their ability to hear. The clinic should test the individual with them in to see how he or she does. If the results are the same, then the problem could be something different than originally thought. It could be the beginnings of dementia, and that dementia could be keeping the brain from accepting the information that is heard because the brain has basically forgotten how to hear. This seems kind of like what is called Auditory Dissynchrony although it might not go under that label. With Dissynchrony, an individual's auditory nerve is not accepting the information that is heard. This can be from the nerve being absent or no longer working correctly. If your loved one has this problem of forgetting how to hear, then aids may not be helpful. You will want to seek more help from an audiologist.
Hopefully, having a hearing test will clear things for your loved one. Once able to hear again, it will hopefully clear up any strange speech patterns as well as awkwardness. It might be hard for him or her to get used to, but perhaps it will calm your fears of dementia. It is always better to start with the simple solutions first.
