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Do your Mom and self a huge favor, and get her hearing tested. Hearing loss in elderly patients is all too often mis-diagnosed as the early stages of dementia.

If hearing instruments are required, avoid the “in-the-ear” type, as they are slippery and hard for the elderly to insert. The newer “behind-the-ear” style are easier to handle, and are very comfortable to wear.

To this day, I blame an inept audiologist for my Mom’s decline. When an elderly person cannot hear clearly, they tend to withdraw and live in their thoughts, and not interact with others.

Helping her hear clearly will prolong and enhance the time you have left with her in your life. Make the most of it.

Thank you. I have thought of the same idea that she might think more clearly and be more involved with her world if she could hear more of what is being said. But there is no doubt that she has some mental problem affecting her. The doctor called it "short term memory loss" but I strongly suspect that it is more akin to ADD (in its character not its cause) in that her concentration has become very shaky.

There is no doubt that she has had multiple mini-strokes. An MRI confirmed that. I did conclude our discussion yesterday with the idea that she should go for a hearing test but that did not mean she had to get a hearing aid. Easing her towards things without making them sound like ultimatums seems to help. I think some of her reticence comes from the fear of losing control, which is unavoidable, so not seeing a doctor or following other advice is her "pushback" against that.