Dementia and Hearing Loss
Learn about the relationship between brain and hearing health, and how hearing technology can preserve your cognitive ability.
Dementia and Hearing Loss
Learn about the relationship between brain and hearing health, and how hearing technology can preserve your cognitive ability.
How Are Dementia and Hearing Loss Related?
You may be surprised to learn that there is a connection between hearing loss and dementia. One commonality between these two conditions is age.
Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is one of the most prevalent types of hearing loss, with dementia also being a condition associated with aging. What experts have learned over the last several years is how these two conditions relate to one another. When it comes to the specific connections, experts have found that:
- People with untreated hearing loss are typically more concerned about issues with memory than those with no hearing loss
- Dementia is more prevalent with those who have an untreated hearing loss
- Untreated hearing loss will often lead to cognitive issues earlier in life than those who do not have hearing loss
When two or more conditions are present in the body simultaneously, it is called a comorbidity. How hearing loss and dementia influence one another relates to the isolating effect that hearing loss can have on a person.
What Other Negative Effects Can Hearing Loss and Dementia Lead To?
Once a person starts missing certain sounds, a common response is to avoid social activities that require greater effort to hear. Noisy restaurants, family gatherings, even church and other events where hearing loss and difficulty communicating are more likely to occur can make a person feel embarrassed, fatigued, and less likely to want to continue their participation in future get togethers. This is dangerous territory, because it can lead to auditory deprivation, which can include brain atrophy and an increased likelihood of cognitive decline.
What Can Be Done to Treat Hearing Loss and Dementia?
As is the case with conditions such as hearing loss and tinnitus, there isn’t a cure for dementia. And though the use of hearing aids cannot remedy the effects of these conditions, what they can do when properly diagnosed, fit, and are worn regularly is further delay the effects of dementia. What’s more, there’s the added benefit of properly fit hearing aids reintroducing sounds into a person’s world, which can increase their confidence, and often lead to a person’s reengaging with activities that their hearing and communication issues were preventing them from embracing.
What Can Be Done to Treat Hearing Loss and Dementia?
As is the case with conditions such as hearing loss and tinnitus, there isn’t a cure for dementia. And though the use of hearing aids cannot remedy the effects of these conditions, what they can do when properly diagnosed, fit, and are worn regularly is further delay the effects of dementia. What’s more, there’s the added benefit of properly fit hearing aids reintroducing sounds into a person’s world, which can increase their confidence, and often lead to a person’s reengaging with activities that their hearing and communication issues were preventing them from embracing.
How Can I Learn More About Promoting Better Hearing Health?
The first step in taking control of your hearing health is by booking an appointment for a comprehensive hearing assessment. At Beltone Tristate, our team of hearing care professionals is trained on testing, diagnosing, and treating hearing loss. We recommend the most advanced, most effective type of hearing devices for your unique hearing loss. If you’re concerned about your or a loved one’s hearing, as well as their cognitive health, then time is of the essence. Book an appointment with your primary care doctor so you can discuss any cognitive concerns you might have, and come see us at Beltone Tristate so you can hear your very best.
How Can I Learn More About Promoting Better Hearing Health?
The first step in taking control of your hearing health is by booking an appointment for a comprehensive hearing assessment. At Beltone Tristate, our team of hearing care professionals is trained on testing, diagnosing, and treating hearing loss. We recommend the most advanced, most effective type of hearing devices for your unique hearing loss. If you’re concerned about your or a loved one’s hearing, as well as their cognitive health, then time is of the essence. Book an appointment with your primary care doctor so you can discuss any cognitive concerns you might have, and come see us at Beltone Tristate so you can hear your very best.
At Beltone Tristate, We’re Here to Serve Your Hearing Needs
Contact us today for your comprehensive hearing assessment. Don’t delay!
At Beltone Tristate, We’re Here to Serve Your Hearing Needs
Contact us today for your comprehensive hearing assessment. Don’t delay!
