There’s a strong connection between hearing well and your overall well-being and happiness.
Hearing well can have a positive influence on so many aspects of your life.
Not only does hearing well help you to understand and communicate effectively. It also keeps you in touch with the ever-changing world around you.
Did you know?
There’s no doubt that the impact of hearing loss is often underestimated. But there’s growing evidence that treating hearing loss can positively impact your social-emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being.
Hearing loss is associated with a number of serious health issues
- Feelings of distress
- Depressive thoughts
- Cognitive problems
- Higher risk of falls
On the upside, hearing has an important role to play, helping us live a full and happy life.
The three important areas where hearing well benefits our well-being:
- Social-emotional well-being – Hearing well fosters easier engagement, stronger connections, and a more positive outlook. Hearing aid users and their communications partners report social benefits from musing hearing technology.
- Cognitive well-being – Hearing well supports cognitive fitness. The brain plays a crucial role in listening and speech understanding – it’s important to keep it stimulated. That’s where hearing aids come into play.
- Physical well-being – Hearing well enables people to live a more active, health lifestyle. Having the right hearing solutions means that you are well-equipped to deal with different listening situations.
Research shows a clear link between cognition and hearing aids
Ever have trouble remembering details of a recent conversation or the name of an old friend you bumped into recently? Struggling with tasks that were once easy?
We all want to slow down or prevent cognitive decline. Though it’s true that dementia is mostly down to genetics, around 30% of the contributing factors are caused by factors under our control.
One of these factors is hearing loss. Managing hearing loss and enabling social engagement are ways of preventing the cognitive decline we often associate with ageing.
A study by researchers at the University of Melbourne looked at whether treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids could delay cognitive decline in older adults. The study involved 99 participants aged between 60 and 84 years old.
The key findings:
- People with hearing loss are more at risk of developing clinically significant cognitive problems at an older age [1]
- Emerging evidence shows that hearing aids may delay the onset of cognitive decline [2,3]
- Hearing loss is the most modifiable risk factor in preventing dementia and cognitive decline
- Cognitive function in older adults with hearing loss who use hearing aids can not only remain stable but can improve significantly over time
- More frequent use of hearing aids is associated with greater improvements in cognitive function
The study is on-going with a follow-up planned for 3 years’ time.
The effect of hearing aid use on cognition
Last year, we reviewed one particular hearing aid that many of our clients have found really made a difference to their life – Phonak’s Lyric.
Lyric’s unique benefit compared to traditional hearing aids is that it is worn 24/7. Research data has shown Lyric’s advantage over traditional hearing aids may be due to constant auditory stimulation provided by Lyric extended wear [4]
There are a wide range of hearing aids available for all degrees of hearing loss. Together, we can help you choose the solutions that meets your needs and matches your budget, lifestyle, and preferences.
We’ll help you choose the best hearing solution for your well-being.
*1 Loughrey, D.G., Kelly, M.E. Kelley, G.A., Brennan, S., & Lawlor, B.A. (2018). Association of Age-related Hearing Loss With Cognitive Function, Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia. JAMA Otolarynology-Head & Neck Surgery, 144(2), 115-126.
2 Mahmoudi, E., Basu, T., Langa, K., McKee, M.M., Zazove, P., Alexander, N., & Kamdar, N. (2019). Can Hearing Aids Delay Time to Diagnosis of Dementia, Depression, or Falls in Older Adults? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(11), 2362-2369.
3 Sarant, J., Harris, D., Busby, P., Maruff, P., Schembri, A., Lemke, U., & Launer, S. (2020). The effect of hearing aid use on cognition inolder adults: Can we delay decline or even improve cognitive function? Journal of Clinical Medicine, ((1), 254.