On my way home I looked up, as I always do, at my friend’s mother’s maisonette. She no longer stands at the window admiring the view over the water - well, she’s in her late nineties so that’s understandable. A couple of months ago she was in a local rest home after a fall and, after looking round to make sure she wasn’t over heard, confided to my friend’s sister that the place “was full of old people”. Regardless of her years, she has a strong spirit of independence.
She also has a severe hearing loss, which is also understandable. My pal finds her ‘resistance’ to using the things that make up for that lost hearing ............... challenging? With his mother he’s always considerate and patient, whilst with me he admits her disregard of hearing aid etc. tests his patience. As those who’ve lived through someone else’s hearing loss will know only too well, the TV volume is the first indicator.