How can hearing aids help your brain?
Whilst it is true that living with hearing loss can be a challenge, with appropriate equipment and support from your family and friends, you can lead a full and happy life. In fact, wearing hearing aids has been shown to significantly improve the quality of life for hearing-impaired individuals.
Hearing loss and dementia
A 2011 study by John Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging suggested that elderly people who suffer from hearing loss are also more likely to suffer from dementia over time.[1]
Undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss can lead to feelings of isolation and frustration; sometimes it can even lead to depression. People with hearing loss have an accelerated rate of brain tissue loss, which contributes to the chances of dementia.
The risk of dementia was found to increase in line with the severity of the hearing loss i.e. for every 10 decibels of hearing lost, the risk of dementia increased by 20 percent.
The study found that for individuals over the age of 60, more than one third of those with dementia also had a hearing loss. Even after researchers eliminated other common factors for dementia such as age, sex, race, high blood pressure and diabetes, the connection with hearing loss remained.
Therefore, identifying a hearing loss as early as possible can contribute significantly to slowing the potential onset of dementia.