How to Help Aging Parents With Hearing Loss

Supporting an aging parent often means balancing their independence with their need for safety, connection, and clear communication. When a parent starts missing calls, avoiding phone conversations, or repeatedly saying, “I can’t understand you,” it’s natural to worry they are becoming withdrawn, forgetful, or less able to manage daily life.

But in many cases, the problem may be simpler: hearing loss is making everyday communication harder—especially on the phone.

When phone conversations become difficult, older adults can quickly lose confidence in one of the most important tools for staying connected with family, friends, healthcare providers, pharmacies, and other essential services. Over time, that can affect not only communication, but also privacy, safety, and independence.

This guide walks you through practical ways caregivers can help an aging parent communicate more confidently, with or without hearing aids. In the interest of full disclosure, CaptionCall by Sorenson is a sponsor of this article, but I will focus on both the utility of no-cost captioned telephones and other ways to maintain or reclaim good communication.

In my experience as a hearing healthcare editor for over 30+ years, however, I think captioned telephones are among the most under-recognized devices for people with hearing loss who struggle to hear on the phone—whether they have a hearing aid or not. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard about captioned telephones, because even brilliant audiologists can forget to mention them to patients.

So, with that out of the way, here are the three important first-steps for helping your parent maintain—or reclaim—their communication independence:

Step 1: Recognize the Signs of Communication Trouble

About one-third (30-35%) of US adults ages 65 to 74, and almost half (40-55%) of those age 75+ have hearing loss, according to the American Academy of Audiology. That means there’s probably a good chance your parent has hearing loss and may benefit from hearing aids, a captioned phone, assistive devices, or a broader hearing-support plan, particularly if they:

• Withdraw from group conversations or family gatherings
• Turn up the TV volume much higher than others prefer
• Pretend to understand conversations when they do not
• Ask people to repeat themselves frequently
• Miss doorbells, alarms, or phone rings
• Avoid phone calls or often let voicemail pick up
• Hand over the phone to a spouse, adult child, or caregiver
• Miss medical instructions or appointment details
• Seem embarrassed, frustrated, or exhausted after calls or conversations

These signs are sometimes mistaken for memory problems, lack of interest, or stubbornness. In reality, they may also reflect reduced speech clarity, listening fatigue, or the stress of trying to keep up when important words are missed.

For caregivers, the key is to approach the issue in a supportive way rather than criticism. Instead of saying, “You never hear me,” try something more like, “I’ve noticed listening to the TV or phone calls seems harder lately. Would it help if we looked at some options that make it easier?”

Step 2: Start With Their Individual Hearing Needs

If your parent has not had a comprehensive hearing evaluation by an audiologist or hearing care professional, that is usually the best place to start. A hearing evaluation can identify the type and degree of hearing loss, clarify whether hearing aids or other devices might help, and rule out issues such as earwax buildup or medical conditions that could require a physician's attention.

For some adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, an affordable entry point can be over-the-counter hearing aids. However, prescription hearing aids fit by a state-licensed professional who follows best practices—including an in-person needs assessment, hearing testing in a soundbooth, real-ear measurement, individualized counseling, and follow-up adjustments—remain the gold standard for care and the better, albeit pricier, option.

Audibility matters. Hearing aids and amplification devices that enhance speech understanding, especially those featuring directional microphones, background noise reduction, Bluetooth audio streaming, and compatible accessories, can make a major difference in daily communication. They help reduce frustration during family gatherings, doctor’s appointments, phone calls, and everyday conversations.

However, hearing aids do not solve every listening challenge…

Step 3: Match the Solution to the Listening Problem

The best communication plan often includes more than one tool. Hearing aids may improve access to in-person speech. Bluetooth streaming may make music, TV, and cell phone calls clearer. Accessories and assistive devices, such as remote microphones, may help in restaurants or meetings. TV streamers, alarms/alerting devices, smartphone apps, hearing aid safety features, and Auracast-supported devices can also address important needs.

But phone calls deserve special attention because they are uniquely challenging for many older adults with hearing loss.

On the phone, there are no facial expressions, no lip-reading cues, no gestures, and often little context when a caller starts speaking. Even with hearing aids, distorted phone audio, background noise, accents, fast talkers, and unfamiliar voices can turn a routine call into a stressful guessing game—for example, when a caller starts speaking and the listener is not quite sure who is on the other end of the line.

Phone audio can also limit access to important speech cues. Traditional telephone speech transmission is often restricted to a narrow frequency range, roughly 300-3,400 Hz, compared with the roughly 20-10,000+ Hz range associated with full-range consumer headphones or stereo systems. This can reduce access to high-frequency consonants that many people with age-related hearing loss already struggle to hear. While HD Voice and other wideband technologies can improve phone sound quality, they are usually not available on every call.

That is why captioned telephones can be so valuable. They do not rely on amplified sound alone. Instead, they provide visual text support when the audio signal is incomplete, distorted, or simply too hard to understand. Many captioned phones can also amplify the call through a handset or speakerphone, giving users both improved sound and captioned text.

For adult children and other caregivers, the goal is not to take over every phone call; the goal is to help the person stay connected, independent, and safe. For many families, a captioned phone can be one of the most practical places to start.

Captioned phones are available at no cost to eligible people with hearing loss who need captioning to use their phones effectively. They work much like regular home phones, but with a screen that displays the text of what the other person is saying during the call. These phones use Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) to provide near-real-time text of phone conversations, and they’re made available under an FCC-run program designed to support Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Most captioned phones also feature a volume dial or button to amplify the phone conversation, in addition to providing near-real-time text. For an aging parent, that combination can be extremely useful. They can still hear the familiar voice of a child, friend, doctor, or pharmacist, but they no longer have to catch every word by listening alone. And if they miss a medication name, appointment time, address, or phone number, the captioned text provides a visual backup; with many captioned phones, they can revisit the conversation at their leisure after the call if they have questions about any of the details or what was said.

It’s when phone communication becomes unreliable that many adult children often step in to help. That may be necessary at times, but it can also chip away at a parent’s privacy, sense of independence, and security. No one wants their son or daughter listening in on every medical question, financial matter, or personal conversation.

CaptionCall: A Practical Option for Phone Independence

One of the leading captioned telephone services for people with hearing loss is CaptionCall by Sorenson. The CaptionCall phone works much like a regular home phone, but includes a large screen that displays captions during calls.

In HearingTracker’s CaptionCall review, the service is described as especially helpful for people who struggle with standard phone conversations, even if they already use hearing aids. Along with the large captioning screen, the phone includes volume and EQ/tone controls so the sound can be customized through the handset or speakerphone to better match their unique hearing loss profile.

From my own experience with this phone, one of its most helpful features is the setup process. CaptionCall’s Red Carpet installation includes free delivery, setup, and hands-on in-person training for those who choose this option (a DIY option with online assistance is also available for the setup). My review of the Red Carpet service explains how the installer walked me through the phone's features, set it up in my home, and made sure I knew how to use it. This eases the tech burden on both the user and family members.

CaptionCall also offers a mobile app option, which may be useful for people who are comfortable with smartphones or who want captioning support away from home.

Who is eligible for a no-cost captioned phone?

Captioned telephone service is intended for people with hearing loss who need captions to communicate effectively over the phone. Eligible users can receive phones and captioning services at no cost because IP CTS is funded by the federal Telecommunications Relay Service Fund.

In general, users must have hearing loss and certify that captions are needed to communicate effectively by phone. Some people may be referred by an audiologist, hearing instrument specialist, physician, or other hearing care professional.

HearingTracker’s article on how to get a captioned phone at no cost provides a useful overview of the process, and our Definitive Guide to IP CTS captioned telephones explains how this service works, who it is designed for, and why it can be provided at no cost to eligible users through a federal program administered by the FCC.

Don’t Stop at the Phone: Build a Hearing-Support Plan

A captioned telephone can solve one of the biggest communication pain points at home, but many aging parents need support in more than one listening situation. A good caregiver plan may include a mix of hearing care, home safety tools, communication strategies, and assistive technology.

Depending on your parent’s needs, that plan may include:

• A comprehensive hearing evaluation
• Hearing aids or hearing implants
• Bluetooth phone streaming
• A captioned telephone or captioning app
• TV listening systems or streamers
• Remote microphones for difficult listening environments (houses of worship, lectures, noisy restaurants, etc.)
• Doorbell, smoke alarm, or phone-ringer alerts
• Smartphone apps
• Fall alert and other safety features built into some hearing aids
• Auracast-supported devices as they become more widely available
• Simple communication strategies for them, as well as family members and caregivers

The most important step is to avoid assuming that hearing loss means your parent must give up independence. With the right combination of hearing care, technology, and support, many older adults can continue managing their own conversations, relationships, appointments, and daily routines with greater confidence and safety.

In Part 2, we’ll provide a practical Caregiver Checklist for building a broader communication-independence plan—from hearing care and phone access to home safety, TV listening, alerts, and everyday communication strategies.

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by CaptionCall. The content, editorial perspective, and recommendations were written by the author and reflect HearingTracker’s independent effort to provide practical guidance for caregivers and families.