According to a study published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging, “Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in the elderly, and it is becoming a severe social and health problem.” Below we review how untreated hearing loss can affect senior citizens and how hearing aids can help.
Falls
Research by Johns Hopkins Medicine found that even a mild hearing loss at 25 decibels is linked with a three-fold risk of experiencing a fall. For every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss, this risk increases 1.4-fold.
This is likely due to the fact that people with untreated hearing loss are less aware of their surroundings, and because hearing loss overwhelms the brain.
Hearing aids can help keep you alert to what’s happening around you and help prevent a fall.
Cognitive Decline
More research by Johns Hopkins linked untreated hearing loss with an increased risk of cognitive decline. In fact, according to researchers, “Compared with volunteers with normal hearing, those with mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss had twofold, threefold, and fivefold, respectively, the risk of developing dementia over time.”
Researchers hypothesize there may be a common pathology that underlies both conditions, or that the strain of making out sounds can overwhelm the brain. They also suspect that the connection may be due to the fact that hearing loss causes social isolation – a well-known risk factor for dementia.
Hearing aids can help you decode sounds with greater ease and get you back to the people and activities you once enjoyed.
Heart Problems
It may be surprising to hear that heart health and hearing health are closely linked, and that if you have hearing loss, it could indicate underlying cardiovascular issues.
This is because the inner ears rely on a healthy supply of oxygen from blood flow. If you have cardiovascular disease, it could starve the sensory hair cells in the inner ear of this much-needed oxygen.
If you have hearing loss, get checked for cardiovascular disease, and vice versa. For more information or to schedule an appointment for a hearing test, call M.K. Larson Audiology today.
