Ever thought you’d like to wind back the clock and feel young again?
Sadly, the elixir of youth is a myth.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make the most of every day and do all you can to stay healthy.
Why hearing is so important to healthy ageing and a happy and healthy life
Your hearing is an important element of healthy ageing. It’s true that most of us lose our hearing as we get older.
If you’ve worked in a noisy environment or been exposed to noise, your hearing has probably taken a hammering.
That’s why protecting your hearing throughout your life is so important.
75% of Australians over the age of 70 have a hearing loss that affects their ability to hear and connect to others. 1
Not being able to hear affects our relationships. It means we miss conversations on the phone, at the shops, or when there’s a bit of background noise.
Being unable to hear can lock us out of the best part of our lives – conversations with family and friends.
And as we’re all living longer, it means we’ll really struggle in our later life.
“When we lose our hearing, we lose the channels that bring in information to our brain”, says Professor David Ryugo of the Garvan Institute. “The rich variety of sounds get lost. But because it happens over time, we often don’t notice it straight away.”
There’s plenty of evidence that if you have hearing loss and you don’t attend to it, is a real problem. Having hearing loss also means we’re five times more at risk of having early-onset dementia.
Healthy ageing is all about staying connected to the world
So, is it all bad news? Of course not! For anyone over 60, or if you’re having trouble hearing, we recommend:
Book a hearing check.
On average, it takes people 10 years to do something about their hearing loss once they’ve realised there’s an issue.
Having your hearing checked is always to first step towards maintaining whatever hearing you still have. So, don’t delay!
COVID-19 means that many of us are not moving too far from home. Why not try our online hearing test? It’s free and will only take a few minutes.
Be realistic about what to expect.
It’s true that, in most cases, damage to your hearing is permanent. Even with the best hearing aids on the market, your hearing will never be as good as it was when you were young.
Having realistic expectations is important. With the right hearing devices, you will be able to hear better in most listening situations.
Watch Professor David Ryugo talk more about the importance of hearing and the role of our brain in how our hearing works:
If you have any questions about your hearing health, please give us a call on 1300 970 558.
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research: About Hearing Loss