The Connection Between Dementia and Hearing Loss
Losing your hearing isn’t just an inconvenience. Some older adults develop dementia as a result of their hearing loss. Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that even mild hearing loss can double your risk of the memory-related disease, and that statistic increases depending on the severity of the loss.
What You Should Know About Hearing Loss
Have you found yourself needing to increase the volume on the TV more often? You may struggle to keep up with conversations and regularly misunderstand what family members say. If this is the case, having your hearing checked by a medical provider to avoid future complications is essential.
Here’s what you need to know about the correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline.
Why Does Hearing Loss Lead to Dementia?
While more research on the subject needs to be done, doctors suspect hearing loss strains your brain and causes it to work overtime to fill in the blanks in conversations with others. Another possibility is that losing hearing can actually shrink the brains of older adults. Plus, people with hearing loss tend to stop attending social events and may become less intellectually stimulated as a result.
Hearing Loss and Dementia Have Similar Symptoms
Hearing loss is not always easy to diagnose, as the symptoms can overlap with those of cognitive decline. For instance, difficulty following what others are saying, repeating questions, and isolating yourself socially are signs of both hearing loss and dementia. Only an audiology exam can confirm whether hearing loss plays a role.
Can Hearing Aids Make a Difference?
Studies are being conducted on how much hearing aids could reduce the risk of patients developing cognitive decline. However, most doctors agree that hearing care yields positive results for seniors. Since hearing aids are often cost-prohibitive, there are other adjustments you can make to improve communication. Strategies such as asking others to speak loudly, avoiding background noises, and ensuring you face the person speaking can all help.
Hearing Loss Has Many Health Effects
Not only can hearing loss lead to difficulties with communication and social isolation, but it can also increase the risk of falls and accidents, as well as contribute to depression and anxiety. Therefore, it is important to address hearing loss early on and seek appropriate treatment to prevent these adverse health outcomes.
Visiting Angels Crystal Lake Can Help
If you or your senior loved one has hearing loss, dementia, or another related condition, in-home care services with Visiting Angels Crystal Lake may be beneficial. Our kind and friendly professional caregivers enjoy engaging their senior clients in meaningful conversation and activities, preventing social isolation and providing cognitive stimulation. Additionally, our dementia care program offers completely customized services for your senior loved one as their condition progresses with time.
For more information about flexible care options with Visiting Angels Crystal Lake or to set up a free initial consultation, please fill out our online contact form or give us a call at 815-479-0312.