My father was 92 in March and, all things considered, he is reasonably well. He does tend to get quite deaf though. It comes and goes a bit. When it comes, everything is turned to maximum volume. When I lived at home, I used to fall asleep to the sound of BBC radio 4 and, as I got older, and went to sleep later, to the sound of the world service. My father is a big fan and he always keeps the radio on all night. The last weekend I was in Cork, my father was very deaf. He had the radio on at maximum volume and I had to put my head under the pillow to try to get to sleep. “How do you stand it?” I asked my brother who lives at home. “Well,” he said, “it’s not all the time and you get used to it, but, I am worried that the students next door might complain about the noise.”
My dad was not quite as deaf as a post, but within spitting distance of it. He used to set the TV volume on stun and then fall asleep in the chair. He was 92 when he passed in 2014. My mom will be 93 this year, and her main complaint is that nobody speaks intelligibly any more. “Everybody mumbles so.” She’s still sharp as the proverbial tack, active and remarkably healthy for her age, for which I am so thankful. I have some little rubber ear plugs I wear when I visit.
Earplugs. Possibly an option alright. I hope you have your parents’ genes…
. Re longevity rather than hearing obviously but I think everyone gets deaf in old age…