(I wrote this a few days ago)
My grandpa has been having problems with his hearing for years. I constantly have to repeat things I just said. This happens even if I am sitting right next to him in the backseats of a car! His hearing is so bad that he constantly turns the TV up to 70. My grandma is even starting to complain that she thinks the TV is always too loud and that it is making her lose her hearing. Whenever my grandpa falls asleep, my grandma’s first course of action is to turn the loud TV’s volume down. I have shown my grandpa Bluetooth earbuds that will play the TV’s audio directly into his ears so he does not need to turn it up so loud that everyone complains. But he insists that it is his TV and that he can do whatever he wants with it. My goofy ahh mother that cannot even drive safely said that my behavior was very unacceptable. But my dad and I really do think that TV is loud and he needs some sort of hearing aids! So Reddit, AITA for making a suggestion that would benefit everyone in the family except my goofy ahh mother?
Whos paying for these expensive hearing aids? Did you ever think that he might not be able to budget thousands of dollars for proper aids?
I am also fine with just getting him Bluetooth headphones so he can hear the TV.
Oh you can definitely make the suggestion and it certainly does not make you TA.
Hopefully he will listen. My father won’t and his TV is deafening…
NTA
It’s never bad to make suggestions and try to find solutions that work for everyone, you had an idea and you gave it out. Unfortunately some people are completely set in their routines and ways that even if they’re given a perfectly good solution, they’re not going to want to take it. NTA but I’m not sure if you should push it anymore, as it could cause things to get worse.
Maybe he needs to have his ears checked for impacted wax build up before spending $$$ on hearing aids. I used to work at an Urgent Care and irrigating peoples’ ears was something I did quite regularly.
Hearing aids may help a little bit. My grandmother has good quality hearing aids and still have to speak very loudly and be intentional with my pronunciation for her to understand me. Unfortunately there is not always a perfect solution. NAH
NTA
Costco generally has much more affordable hearing aids if you have one in your area.
It can be really difficult to persuade someone to use them. Does he understand that the tv being loud causes your Grandmother discomfort and is hurting her hearing?
Would Sam’s Club work?
NTA for ‘wanting’ him to get them but YTA for ‘telling’.
INFO
Do you all live together? If not, mind your business
What is ‘goofy ahh’?
You can suggest to your parents that your grandfather could use hearing aids, and the bluetooth earphone suggestion is great (my dad had some and it was a saviour for everyone else in the house) but that’s all you can do. You can’t ‘tell’ or ‘nag’ or ‘demand’. You are (presumably) a child living with parents and grandparents, it’s not your right nor your business.
We went through this with my mother. I would tell her she needs hearing aids and she’d tell me her doctor told her she didn’t. My brother, who was with her at that particular appointment, indicated that the doctor said quite the opposite – she just didn’t hear him correctly. It was comically absurd. We finally got her a pair, but like many 90-something people, understanding their operation and remembering to keep them charged is a real challenge for her.
Seriously though, loss of hearing is a contributor to heightened risk of dementia, so your grandfather would benefit tremendously from having a decent pair of hearing aids. But you can’t force him no matter how much you nag him.
NTA but also do a little research into why he’s going deaf. Was he military? Twofold if he was and is then hopefully he can get into the VA to get them. If not do some pricing on them.
NTA. But your mother is probably in denial as she doesn’t want to come to the reality that her parents are ageing. So be kind to her too, it’s unfortunate she took it out on you, but it might be the reason.