Hearing loss is a condition that may be dismissed as part of natural aging, or people may be embarrassed to seek out specific testing or treatment. Research has shown that hearing loss affects about one third of people aged 65-74, and roughly half of people age 75 and older. Hearing loss can interfere with many important aspects of daily life. Hearing loss can impede a person’s ability to follow or fully participate in conversations or activities with friends or family, which can lead to social isolation. Hearing loss can also hamper a person’s ability to hear phones, alarms or doorbells, respond to warnings, interact with others, or understand nurses, doctors or pharmacists while managing medical care.
The isolation caused by hearing loss has been shown in studies to be linked to an increased risk of developing dementia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins found a significant correlation between the severity of someone’s hearing loss and their risk of developing dementia. The study showed that mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia, moderate hearing loss triples the risk of dementia, and severe hearing loss makes people five times more likely to develop dementia. With hearing loss, neurodegeneration, or damage to nerve cells, occurs along the auditory pathway. Additionally, studies have shown that people with hearing loss have degeneration in areas of the brain that are linked to executive function and speech/language processing.
One of the primary concerns as we go through aging, in terms of health, is to maintain one’s ability to function independently as much as possible and prevent developing dementia.
At the Memory Center, board certified neurologists will check for signs of Mild Cognitive Impairment and schedule genetic, physiological and imaging testing for memory loss and possible signs of dementia. Our highly trained audiologist will do the diagnostic evaluation of hearing and ear function. Call The Memory Center of Englewood at 201-947-4777 today to schedule a visit or for more information. www.MemoryCenter.org
