Grandpa said, “WHAT?” and it became apparent he really couldn’t hear exactly what we were talking about.

I had bought grandpa all these ear cleaning tools, from q-tips to ear candles. Nothing worked.

Worse yet, grandpa seemed to be acting crazier and weirder lately. He came to a family function with socks on but no shoes!

Finally, I decided that there had to be one more thing to try. Before I would sentence my beloved Grandpa to living the rest of his days alone in a crusty nursing home, I decided to talk to the doctor, to see if he had any insight.

“Well, I have to say, it’s a good thing that Harry here has a granddaughter who takes such good care of him,” Dr. Killian said, “The problem here is bad, but if he had waited much longer, it would have been so much worse.”

“Oh no!! Well I’m glad we came in,” I said, while Grandpa nodded away, not seeming to pay attention at all, “What is the problem?”

“It might sound funny, but it’s his ears,” Dr. Killian told us.

“His ears?? How the heck are his ears making him crazy?” I asked, so confused.

“Well, it’s more common than we would like to admit, but ear hygiene often falls to the wayside as we get older,” Dr. Killian said, “And while some people might think it’s just gross to have waxy ears, it’s actually very dangerous for health—waxy ears can lead to partial or full deafness, and even early cognitive decline. The quality of life drastically decreases once these conditions take root in a senior.”

“Whoa! But how could deafness be permanent? And how could that cause early cognitive decline?” I asked, starting to get really worried.

Dr. Killian smiled gently, “Don’t worry, Harry isn’t in a state of permanent damage yet, but it is good to know what could happen if his earwax is left unchecked. As for the deafness becoming permanent—long-term ear wax buildup can cause inflammation and even ruptures that can’t be repaired, even after the wax gets cleaned out.”

“Jeez, I had no idea!” I told him.

He nodded, “And in my opinion, that’s not even the worst part. The worst? It affects my ability to think clearly. For me, it’s the scariest thing about aging, and one that I will personally avoid at all costs.”

“How is it that earwax affects people’s brains?” I asked.

“If an ear has too much wax that impairs hearing, the brain is working overdrive to interpret the sounds. Imagine being underwater, and trying to breathe only through a straw—that’s how the brain feels when it’s trying to hear the world through a blocked ear,” he explained, “And like the person stuck under water, the brain can only concentrate on the one thing—surviving—so “extra” brain activity, like recall, and memories are completely forgotten.”

“Whoa!! I had no idea that earwax is so hard on the brain!” I said.

Dr. Killian nodded, “Many people don’t! And the big problem is that once the brain gets starved like that for a while, the muscle memory goes away altogether, leaving recall and memories behind.”

“Oh my goodness!! Please, tell me it’s not too late for my Grandpa!!” I begged the doctor.

Dr. Killian smiled, leaned over, took my hand into his warm dry hand and looked me in the eye, “It’s not too late for Harry. Luckily, he has a family who loves him and who brought him in early enough to avoid any issues like this.”

I breathed out a big sigh of relief. Dr. Killian had such a warm and comforting presence, and I felt better already, knowing that it wasn’t too late to help my Grandpa.

“So, what do we need to do to get my Grandpa healthy again?” I asked.

“Well, there are a couple of options,” Dr. Killian said, “The one that other doctors would recommend—as long as the family can afford it—is to do quarterly professional ear cleanings in an ENT doctor’s office. This would cost about $600 out of pocket, or more, depending on insurance.”

“Gosh, that’s pricey!!” I said, “I’m not sure how we could handle that.”

Dr. Killian nodded, understanding, “And there’s another reason I don’t like that option—it means bringing an otherwise healthy patient into medical facilities, and depends on the patient and his family to make sure they never miss an appointment. Easier said than done in this day and age.”

“Well, is there another way?” I asked, starting to get worried again.

“Luckily, there is,” Dr. Killian said, “It’s a new and improved product that has recently been optimized to medical-grade, that anyone can order from the comfort of their own homes, and even better—use in the comfort of their own homes.”

“That sounds perfect!” I said, “What is it?”