How Hearing Loss Can Affect Us
New research recently released by multiple outlets such as CBS News, Forbes, Science Daily, Consumer Reports, Market Watch, and many more, are reporting the benefits of hearing aids and being fit as soon as possible. Properly treated hearing loss can lower your risk of things such as falls, depression, cognitive decline, memory issues, anxiety, and provide you with an overall better quality of life. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reports: “People age 66 and older who got a hearing aid shortly after being diagnosed with hearing loss were less likely to receive a first-time diagnosis of dementia or depression, or be injured by a fall, in the following three years.” The research is in, and the results are overwhelming; treating hearing loss will help you in more ways than just treating hearing loss. Please read the following links to get more information and feel informed about the impacts hearing loss can have on your life.
In the Article by Science Daily the main points we felt important were that older adults who get a hearing aid for a newly diagnosed hearing loss have a lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia, depression or anxiety for the first time over the next three years, and a lower risk of suffering fall-related injuries, than those who leave their hearing loss untreated.
Though hearing aids can’t be said to prevent these conditions, a delay in the onset of dementia, depression, and anxiety, and the risk of serious falls, could be significant. People with hearing loss had much higher rates of dementia, depression and fall injuries than the general population.
Found in the article by CBS News, many health conditions and behaviors affect the odds of developing dementia, and research suggests that a third of cases are preventable. These include getting enough exercise, treating other health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol; having an active social life, and avoiding or curbing harmful habits such as smoking, overeating, and drinking too much alcohol. Hearing aids also may not reduce dementia risk, but older people should be screened for hearing loss and treated accordingly.