What do you do when you have lost your hearing and sight?

[mikey]

About 2 weeks ago she had a mild stroke. The result has been that she lost most of her eyesight and hearing.

Is there any way to overcome this situation? Is there some technology that might help. She already has a reader phone that she can no longer read and high dollar hearing aids that are no longer effective.

Randy, sorry to hear about Mom. A stroke can indeed cause a sudden loss of hearing; this is called Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. However, to also have sudden loss of vision would involve multiple areas of circulation to the brain and would be unusual, which makes me wonder what her true condition is. Has she been seen by a neurologist? If not, then one should be consulted. I don't know that there is anything that can be done for her but at least you would know what her true condition is.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

To only offer sympathy would be to insult you more so than your Mom. I grew up in the 50's with a mother that had been blinded since childhood. She couldn't tell light from dark, but did have usable (and then some) hearing. I had started school before I understood that blindness was not that common. Some people could see and some couldn't. That's just the way it was. Then I started school... ...

What I would offer is a pointer to someone that can provide some insight. At her age, it probably is far more painful for family and those around her. I would just accept that she is now "vision impaired" and deal with it. That's what I had to do with my mom.

The "Alabama School for the Deaf and Blind" is (was) very well known throughout the country as 'the' place to go to deal with vision problems. They are located in Talledega, Alabama. I'm sorry I don't have an address or zip code. You'll need to dig those out for yourself. But the pointer will get you started.

They are supported by the state and AIDB has a number of facilities around the state. And has for over 100 years. Good people in my time, I'm still confident in them. Tell them "Arrietta McClung" sent you. She was there in the 30's, as a child. Long gone now, she was one of the few to read "Grade 3" braille.

I have unusually good eyesight, even at 70. And I understand what loss of vision will do to a person in mid life. It's a hell of a shock, period. And my hearing is still good. But I'm now in a wheel chair. That alone is driving me nuts. God help me if I lost my vision, I'd go bonkers.

Ask for God's help, for you as much as her. And celebrate her very long life.

Bill Hudson​

 

[Titanium Knurler]

Randy, sorry to hear about your mother. Our parents are one of the few things that have always been present in our lives; it is difficult to watch them fail. At your mother’s age it is a challenge to decide how far to pursue a medical condition; I would think that would depend on her overall state of health. I think you must frequently ask yourself, “what would she want” rather than what you might want. Tough to do sometimes.

I agree with Mikey that it is a distinctly unusual situation to lose hearing and vision on both sides simultaneously. If this is truly the case it is possible, although unlikely, that there is a source of emboli(“clots”) on a heart valve or artery in her neck. This could be checked with a couple non-invasive test such as a cardiac duplex or carotid doppler. A CT scan or MRI would tell you for sure if there has been a stroke. It is possible she has had poor hearing for a while, most ninety year olds do, and that she was “lip reading” but lost vision suddenly, due to a stroke or sudden change of macular degeneration in her better seeing eye, and suddenly was unable to lip read, so it appeared as though she lost both senses at once.

Of course I am only speculating here. I think your best bet is to have her Internist coordinate her care and consult a Neurologist and Ophthalmologist so that you can know for sure what has happened and whether any treatments are available.