Can you hear me?

Ever since my father got his NHS hearing aid earlier this year, we have a routine conversation with my question, "Would you like me to put your hearing aid in?" and his reply, "What did you say, dear?" The main problem with the hearing aid is that he can't put it on or adjust the volume by himself. The other is that we went to a party in March where he sat next to a 101 year old lady who spoke to him for 45 minutes. However, because of the background noise, he could not hear a word she said and this has made him lose complete confidence in the hearing aid. He now says it's "hopeless" and refuses to wear it.

A couple of weeks ago, his attention was caught by an advertisment in a local paper for hearing aids purporting to be far better than those of the NHS. He arranged an appointment with the company and a charming young woman came over to our house. She sat very near my father and explained her business. He understood what she said and congratulated her on her enunciation. She started with a hearing test and asked him to close his eyes and to repeat after her 20 words. "Death," she said. "Desk," he said. "Bat", she said. "Back," he said. "Slice," she said. "Choose," he said. "Deaf," she said. "Desk," he repeated and so it went on. The result was that he scored 7 out of 20. I hadn't realised how much he depends upon lip reading.