Hearing loss is associated with poor cognitive performance and incident dementia and may contribute to cognitive decline. If hearing loss is discovered as early as possible and treated it could possibly improve or delay cognitive decline and decrease the risk of dementia, some say as much as 9%.
“Findings from another study showed that individuals with hearing loss developed between 30% and 40% acceleration of cognitive decline and 24% increased risk for incident cognitive impairment during a six-year period compared to those with normal hearing.”
If you find it exhausting to have simple conversations or get irritable in noisy environments don’t assume you may be suffering from dementia. Hearing loss has some of the same symptoms of cognitive impairment so it is vitally important to have regular hearing checks.
Taking preventative steps is recommended especially is you have confirmed hearing loss as the risk of developing dementia is higher. Hearing aids do help, keeping you engaged in conversations and remaining socially active.
Sources - Practical Neurology® - Ronald Devere, MD is director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center in Austin, Texas.
Hearing tests check a person’s ability to hear the loudness and pitch of sounds. Some reasons why you may need a hearing test include ringing in your ears, others companing that you talk too loud or watch the TV on high volume, or simply you have trouble hearing conversations.
While there’s no replacement for a consultation with a hearing-care expert, our free online hearing screening can provide some quick and useful feedback about your hearing. The screening should be carried out in quite space and all you need is a pair of headphones!
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