Hearing loss and Dementia — the verdict is in

Advertising Promotion

ARE you avoiding social situations, or are your children or spouse complaining you’re not hearing well?

Do you find you’re forgetting a lot more lately? 

Is your family tired of having to repeat themselves? 

You could have a hearing loss and while you may think having a hearing loss does not affect anything else other than your actual hearing, that’s not true. 

Untreated hearing loss can have serious and negative consequences and may impact on your mental health, your concentration, your social engagement, and now there is evidence to support a strong relationship between hearing loss and dementia.

Although science is continually trying to understand the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, there are several probable reasons, including brain strain, brain structure and social isolation.

“When you constantly strain to hear and understand, the brain literally becomes stressed,” Chris Laird’s YP Audiology’s owner Chris Laird said.

“Instead of committing what is being said to memory, all of the brain’s effort is spent on trying to understand what is being said which reduces the likelihood of the information being committed to memory.

“Through brain imaging, it has become evident older adults with hearing loss have less grey matter in the part of the brain responsible for hearing.

“This is because certain structures of brain cells shrink when they do not get enough stimulation.”

Chris said social isolation is a common occurrence in people with a hearing loss, but the avoidance of going out can also make the situation worse.

“When you have a hearing loss, it is quite challenging to hear what people say and to follow conversations,” she said.

“For some people they then prefer to just stay at home instead of going out. 

“However, if we stop seeing our friends and family and we stop engaging in our normal social activities, the brain does not receive enough stimuli through the day which can increase the risk for dementia. 

“Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults, with more than half of Australians aged between 60 to 70 years having some degree of hearing loss.”

Of those needing help, only 25 per cent access hearing services and the average time taken to do so is seven years.

“Don’t wait seven years to get your hearing assessed as the risks of doing so can be serious,” Chris said.

“We have a team of clinicians with expertise in all aspects of hearing loss, hearing devices, and tinnitus management, who are ready to assess your hearing and offer solutions on how to keep you in the conversation“

Chris Laird’s YP Audiology is your local hearing specialist and is committed to the hearing health of the entire Yorke Peninsula.

If you or someone you know suffers from a hearing loss, book an appointment for a free hearing assessment by calling 8821 3355.