For anyone suffering from hearing loss, the message is simple: Get a hearing aid.
Why? A recent study found that people were less likely to develop health issues like anxiety, dementia, depression, and dangerous falls if they started using hearing aids within three years of being diagnosed with hearing loss. While these health issues aren’t proven to be eliminated by hearing aids, fewer health issues have been connected to their use. Results from the study demonstrated that hearing aid users were 18% less likely to develop dementia, 11% less likely to develop depression or anxiety, and 13% less likely to suffer a serious fall.
Stop The Excuses
It’s important to keep in mind that regarding your health, these numbers may appear low but they’re still significant. Prior studies have shown a connection between hearing loss and other significant health issues, but this study proved it’s an ongoing, declining issue. But many people who have hearing loss don’t have it treated or ever use hearing aids. Why not? Not having the correct insurance to cover some of the expenses is a typical issue. Even among those with insurance, the cost might seem too high.
Some individuals actually go in and get fitted but when they get their hearing aid home, it seems like too much hassle to use them, so they don’t. Many individuals don’t view hearing impairment as an important concern because they can turn the volume of the TV up to solve the problem.
Louder volume on the TV won’t solve the issue, however, and while hearing loss may seem to be an inescapable part of getting older, there is a lot more to it.
The Value of Healthy Hearing
Hearing is clearly a large part of communication. If your inability to communicate causes you to miss an essential instruction by your physician or guidance by a family member, that’s a problem. As a result, you might not be able to convey your symptoms and concerns.
There are also some less apparent problems related to poor communication. When you strain to hear and keep up with a conversation on the phone, you may lose touch with some of the people in your support system due to frustration or embarrassment. And clearly, your chance of developing dementia is higher if your brain doesn’t receive enough stimulus which happens when you can’t hear.
Hearing Aid Benefits
Serious long-term concerns aren’t all that getting hearing aids is about. Wearing a hearing aid will immediately enhance your quality of life, as well as your long-term wellbeing. You will have a more gratifying social life and feel less isolated if you can hear and participate in conversations. When you can communicate intelligibly with your physician, you can accurately share the health concerns you are experiencing and understand your doctor’s treatment plan to reduce your anxiety further.
Is it time to look into a hearing aid? The answer is yes if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Turning the volume of the TV up very high
- Constantly wanting people to repeat themselves
- Trouble hearing the person you are speaking to if there is background noise
- Avoiding social interaction for fear you can’t follow conversations
These are only some of the symptoms that could reveal you need to consider a hearing aid. If any of them sound familiar, ask us if a hearing aid may be right for you.