For anyone dealing with hearing impairment, the message is simple: Get a hearing aid.
Why? A recent study revealed that people who received hearing aids within three years of being diagnosed with hearing impairment were less likely to develop dementia, depression, anxiety, and hazardous falls than people who didn’t receive hearing aids. While this doesn’t prove hearing aids prevent these health issues, their use is connected with fewer health issues. 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 have a serious fall.
Stop The Excuses
It’s important to consider that regarding your health, these numbers may seem low but they’re still significant. Prior studies have demonstrated a connection between hearing loss and other significant health issues, but this study proved it’s an ongoing, declining problem. But many people who have hearing impairment don’t address it or ever use hearing aids. Why not? For many, the lack of insurance coverage is a problem. Even among people with insurance, the expense could be too high.
Others go through the motions, getting fitted for hearing aids and taking them home only to let them sit in the case because wearing them seems like too much of a hassle. Many people don’t view hearing loss as a major concern because they can turn up the TV volume to solve the problem.
While it may seem as if hearing loss is inevitable as you get older, there’s more to it than that, and cranking up the volume is not the best solution.
The Importance of Healthy Hearing
Clearly, a primary aspect of communication is the ability to hear. If your inability to communicate causes you to miss a critical instruction by your doctor or guidance by a family member, that’s an issue. As a result, you might not be able to convey your concerns and symptoms.
There are also some less apparent problems associated with 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. Not being able to hear might even lead to less brain stimulation, and we all know that exercising your mind can help fight against dementia.
Hearing Aid Advantages
Getting a hearing aid isn’t all about extreme, long-term worries. Your long term outlook will certainly improve but hearing aids will immediately improve your quality of life. If you can hear and take part in conversations, it lowers your chances of feeling isolated and allows you to partake more completely in your social life. You will decrease your anxiety even further when you are capable of precisely communicating your health issues with your physician and understanding his advice for treatment.
Do I need hearing aids? The answer is yes if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Being so intimidated that you won’t be able to follow conversations, you stay away from social situations
- Turning the volume of the TV up very high
- Constantly needing people to repeat themselves
- Background noise makes it hard to hear when someone is speaking to you
These are only some of the symptoms that may indicate you should consider a hearing aid. If any of them sound familiar, ask us if a hearing aid might be the right choice for you.