Mr. Maier was lying in his bed watching television. In fact, he always watched TV. 

The subtitles on the screen were moving from left to right. Mr. Maier couldn't hear anything.

Then one day, when the colleague in charge was on vacation, I visited Mr. Maier with paper and pencil and asked him if he had a hearing aid.

He did.

When I asked him why he wasn't using it, he said the batteries had run out.

He couldn't tell me why he hadn't asked for new batteries.

Why no one had taken care of his hearing,
I can't say.

It is not by coincidence that Mr. Maier lives in a nursing home.

The next day I got him some batteries.
Now Mr. Maier can hear again.

It's not a happy ending.