How Hearing Aids Could Keep Your Brain Sharper For Longer
Hearing loss is very common in older adults, affecting 32% of people over age 55, and nearly 70% of people aged 70 and older.
We have known for some time that hearing loss and cognitive decline are linked. New research is finding that wearing hearing aids may help delay this decline in cognition.
A 2013 study at the University of John’s Hopkins by Lin et al. found that the severity of the hearing loss is linearly associated with the rate of cognitive impairment. According to the study, a mild hearing loss doubles the rate of cognitive decline, while moderate and severe hearing loss increases this rate three to five times.
Given the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss, it’s important to investigate whether the treatment of hearing loss can delay the onset of cognitive decline.
New research published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine has found that after 18 months of hearing aid use, 97.3 percent of people showed clinically significant improvements in executive function(important skills controlled by the frontal lobe, which include managing time, paying attention, planning, organizing, and remembering details).
There are multiple mechanisms underlying the link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. For the hearing-impaired brain, there is a reduction in the number of neurons firing in the auditory processing cortex, which leaves the brain open for plaques and tangles (the structural evidence of dementia) to appear. Additionally, hearing loss places increased demands on the areas of the brain related to listening and attention. The hearing-impaired person must watch the mouth for visual cues, read body language and fill in the gaps with context, all of which can lead to auditory fatigue and cognitive overload. Because it’s so tiring to listen, people with hearing loss very often check out. They have higher rates of social isolation and depression which are significant risk factors for dementia.
The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, 82 million people worldwide will be living with dementia. By 2050, those numbers will triple, increasing to 152 million.
Although hearing aids are effective in treating hearing loss and improving quality of life, nearly 76 percent of people who need hearing aids don’t have them -- and of those who have them, approximately 25 percent don’t wear them.
Why is this important? Dementia is the costliest medical condition in the world. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia will approach 1.1 trillion dollars by the year 2050. Seventy percent of the cost falls on families, while the rest is paid by Medicare. By mid-century, one in every three seniors will have Alzheimer’s or dementia in their lifetime. If you aren’t directly affected, you will certainly know someone who is. If you or your loved one struggles with hearing, go have a hearing test. Wearing hearing aids could keep your brain sharper for longer.
Book a hearing test at Alexander Audiology here.