The Importance of Healthy Hearing

The association between untreated hearing loss, Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia is an area of intense research. Studies suggest that people with hearing loss are more likely to develop cognitive problems because hearing loss causes brain changes that raise the risk for dementia.

One of the changes caused by hearing loss is “brain shrinkage”. When the auditory cortex of the brain grows inactive, it results in tissue loss and changes in brain structure. The second link between hearing loss and dementia is “brain overload”. When it’s difficult to hear, the brain must work overtime just to understand what people are saying. Straining to hear all day depletes a person’s mental energy and steals brain power needed for other crucial functions like remembering, thinking and acting.

The third link between hearing loss and Alzheimer’s is social isolation. A study by the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) found that people with untreated hearing loss are more likely to experience loneliness, depression and anxiety and are less likely to engage in social activities. When a person withdraws from life, their risk for dementia intensifies. In short, the less we stimulate our brains by using it to hear and listen, the quicker our brain function declines, putting us at greater risk for dementia.

If a loved one is having trouble understanding speech and finding simple conversations exhausting, help them to get their hearing checked sooner rather than later. Hearing loss has some of the same symptoms as cognitive impairment. Sometimes, undiagnosed hearing loss symptoms are mistakenly thought to be indicators of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

A hearing test is the only way to confirm hearing loss, and, once confirmed, it is important to know that the person is at a higher risk of developing dementia. The earlier hearing loss is identified the sooner one is able to engage in treatment plans to help minimise the risk of cognitive decline.

A treatment plan may include taking medications as recommended, staying active and socially engaged, and wearing hearing aids. Numerous studies have shown that hearing aids not only improve a person’s hearing but also help preserve a person’s independence, mental abilities, and emotional and physical health, and encourage social interaction. A hearing impairment escalates feelings of confusion, disorientation and isolation. Hearing aids can help relieve Alzheimer’s symptoms by making communication easier and slowing the rate of memory decline by keeping your brain active.

KATE-MARIE is a qualified hearing aid acoustician with over 12 years of experience working in the hearing healthcare industry. She runs her own private practice with rooms in Howick (Lenmed Howick Hospital Complex), Hilton (Hilton Life Hospital Complex) and Pietermaritzburg (Hayfields). katebutlin77@gmail.com