When it comes to our ears, we know that the mechanism of hearing and the brain work together for us to hear and understand. We often talk about how our brain helps to fill in the blanks and gaps for us, which sometimes makes it hard to realize that we may have some hearing loss. As we age, however, the issue of untreated hearing loss has been shown to increase the risk of developing dementia.
It is well known that keeping the brain active is important as we age, it is often recommended that we do activities that “exercise” our brain as we age. Throw in some hearing loss and that task can become more difficult to accomplish.
Hearing loss that is not treated can lead to a variety of issues for an individual. Some schools of thought consider these as possible reasons that lead to the higher risk of dementia:
- The brain is working hard to strain to hear and fill in the gaps.
- Hearing loss may lead to the brain shrinking faster.
- Hearing loss can lead to social isolation which, in turn, makes the brain less engaged.
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study done at John’s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health looked at the connection between hearing loss and dementia and they found that hearing aid users were less likely to have dementia than those older adults that had hearing loss but didn’t use hearing aids. In essence, hearing loss doesn’t cause dementia, but it places people at a higher risk for developing it.
The American Academy of Audiology lists some common symptoms of hearing loss and of dementia:
Early Signs of Hearing Loss
These are some common signs of hearing loss
- Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments (restaurants, malls, cars, etc.…)
- Feeling like people “mumble”; speech is unclear
- Saying things like “I can hear, but I can’t understand!”
- Family and friends often need to repeat themselves for you
- Difficulty understanding someone if you aren’t looking at them
- Your family says your TV and/or radio is too loud
- Increased frustration during conversations
- Avoiding social situations because it is hard to hear
Early Signs of Dementia
These are some common signs of dementia (MIND Center, 2019):
- Forgetfulness (especially of recently learned information)
- Difficulty performing tasks that are familiar (e.g., preparing a meal, placing a phone call, playing a game)
- Problems with language (increased difficulty recalling words)
- Disorientation to time and place (e.g., getting lost in familiar areas)
- Poor or decreased judgment (e.g., inappropriate clothing choices, financial decisions)
- Problems with complex mental tasks
- Losing things and/or misplacing them into unusual places
- Changes in mood or behavior (e.g., rapid mood swings)
- Changes in personality (e.g., more confused, suspicious, fearful)
- Loss of initiative; becoming more passive
It is clear that issues people face due to hearing loss have an impact with symptoms of dementia. For example, if you have difficulty understanding what is being said to you, it could make information harder to retain, likely because the information wasn’t received correctly. Additionally, hearing loss affects our balance as well, which can lead to a higher risk of falls.
Even a mild amount of hearing loss can put a person at a higher risk for dementia. So, protecting your hearing from loud noise to prevent hearing loss, becomes even more important tin reducing that risk. Not only that, but correcting hearing loss as soon as it is found, is very important as well.
Often people are hesitant to use hearing aids, they often associate them with being old, or they may not think their hearing is bad enough for a hearing aid, or perhaps it is vanity, they don’t like the way they look. There are many options for correcting hearing with hearing aids, assistive listening devices or cochlear implants. An area of concern for many is the cost of such devices. Hearing aids can cost from 1500-3000 per hearing aid.
Assistive listening devices can be less costly but are often meant for specific tasks, such as listening to the TV and therefore won’t help in all situations. Cochlear implants require surgery, and the cost is extremely high, often people that get these types of devices have more profound loss. There are organizations like the Lions Club and Sertoma, to name a few, that can assist people with the cost of hearing aids. Some state agencies like vocational rehabilitation can also assist with amplification.
So, remember that protecting your hearing now not only will make life less stressful, it plays an important role in preventing bigger issues as we age. Let’s keep that brain engaged but don’t stress it out if it has to work too hard. It is never too late to protect your hearing and if you know you have some hearing loss, follow up with an audiologist as soon as possible.
