Agnes share some tips about hyperacusis strategies and she reflects on her decision to stay at home after diagnosis

Hi everybody, it’s Agnes here from Coatbridge. I was just thinking that I’ve been having particular issues with my hyperacusis, you know the hypersensitivity to noise, tones, pitches, especially children’s screeching. And I realised that with double glazing, it’s really good because I can close the windows and if the children are screeching, and doing what children do, coming out of school and being hyper and happy, I can shut that noise out. I can still see them playfully jumping around but not getting the painful aspect of the unwanted noise. So, I just thought that was really, really good. You know, you can do quite a bit in your own home to absorb noise. I didn’t know this until I developed this sign from my dementia. So, your curtains and cushions, did you know they absorb noise, and just do things and make your environment absorb the noise. And just recently I found out that you can get pictures with certain backing, and this backing, and we all like pictures, memories of the happy times and the people and that. But this backing on it absorbs the noise and helps make life easier. You know, gosh, I think the kitchen is one of the noisiest places in the house, all these modern technologies, sometimes I just want to switch them all off to stop this bombardment of noise. So yes, I just thought I would mention that.
We’ve got to be safe in our home, but we want, remember it’s our home so it’s getting the right balance I believe, which will be great. It’s only through trial and error that I’m finding out how to adapt my home to make it suitable for Agnes. I wanted to move home for a considerable number of years, I never felt safe in my home after my diagnosis of dementia. But it was not recommended for me, and my consultant and my daughter convinced me that it was better being in a place that I knew and was familiar and had memories, as opposed to moving to a new place. I often regret doing that and wished that I had moved to something that was much more suitable and designed for a person with dementia. But you make decisions and you just live with it and you learn to adapt. As the condition deteriorates, I don’t like that word, as I find and discover more difficulties with my dementia, we just do more gentle adaptations because I want to live in my home environment for as long as I can in my familiar community and thanks to all the people who write the books and look into this so I can do this. So my pals out there with the Dementia Diaries, keep sharing these things because you give me good ideas and it helps me stay at home, safely, more comfortable. So thanks guys, bye for now.