Pros of Hearing Treatment

The average person waits 7-10 years between having hearing difficulties and pursuing amplification. Overall adoption rates for hearing aids are incredibly low. In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of choosing to prioritize your hearing health.

Communication

The most direct and immediate benefit of amplification if communication. Hearing aids enhance your ability to hear and understand speech. Well-fit hearing aids improve clarity in quiet and noise to make communication easier.

Cognition

Hearing treatment appears to reduce cognitive decline. In 2018, a meta-analysis indicated that the odds of cognitive impairment and dementia was higher for individuals with age-related hearing loss. Dr. Frank Lin published a study in 2023 which indicated that for older adults with hearing loss and at risk for cognitive decline, amplification reduced cognitive changes over 3 years.

Quality of Life

Hearing loss can cause psychological distress and decrease social functioning. The American Academy of Audiology published a systematic review in 2007. This review indicated shows that hearing aids improve adults quality of life by reducing the psychological, social, and emotional effects of hearing loss.

Safety

Hearing and balance are closely intertwined. There was a study in 2018 which demonstrated that older adults with hearing loss had a harder time regaining balance compared to older adults with normal hearing. A systematic review in 2022 showed that for adults with hearing loss, amplification with hearing aids improves balance.

Brain Plasticity

Getting used to hearing aids takes time and this process is called adaptation. To adapt to hearing aids, your brain needs to learn how to hear and interpret sound differently than without hearing aids. Treating your hearing loss when you are younger means that your brain can more easily adapt to amplification. It also means that you likely have less amplification that you will need to adapt to, which helps the process as well.

Are you ready to prioritize your hearing? Book a consult to discuss how we can help.

References

Chisolm TH, Johnson CE, Danhauer JL, Portz LJ, Abrams HB, Lesner S, McCarthy PA, Newman CW. A systematic review of health-related quality of life and hearing aids: final report of the American Academy of Audiology Task Force On the Health-Related Quality of Life Benefits of Amplification in Adults. J Am Acad Audiol. 2007 Feb;18(2):151-83. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.18.2.7. PMID: 17402301.

Dayna S. Dalton, Karen J. Cruickshanks, Barbara E. K. Klein, Ronald Klein, Terry L. Wiley, David M. Nondahl, The Impact of Hearing Loss on Quality of Life in Older Adults, The Gerontologist, Volume 43, Issue 5, October 2003, Pages 661–668, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/43.5.661

Kowalewski V, Patterson R, Hartos J, Bugnariu N. Hearing Loss Contributes to Balance Difficulties in both Younger and Older Adults. J Prev Med (Wilmington). 2018;3(2):12. doi: 10.21767/2572-5483.100033. Epub 2018 Apr 9. PMID: 29951645; PMCID: PMC6017998.

Lin FR, Pike JR, Albert MS, Arnold M, Burgard S, Chisolm T, Couper D, Deal JA, Goman AM, Glynn NW, Gmelin T, Gravens-Mueller L, Hayden KM, Huang AR, Knopman D, Mitchell CM, Mosley T, Pankow JS, Reed NS, Sanchez V, Schrack JA, Windham BG, Coresh J; ACHIEVE Collaborative Research Group. Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2023 Sep 2;402(10404):786-797. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01406-X. Epub 2023 Jul 18. PMID: 37478886; PMCID: PMC10529382.

Loughrey D. G., Kelly M. E., Kelley G. A., Brennan S., Lawlor B. A. (2018). Association of age-related hearing loss with cognitive function, cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surg. 144 115–126. 10.1001/jamaoto.2017.2513

Mahafza MT, Wilson WJ, Brauer S, Timmer BHB, Hickson L. A Systematic Review of the Effect of Hearing Aids on Static and Dynamic Balance in Adults with Hearing Impairment. Trends Hear. 2022 Jan-Dec;26:23312165221121014. doi: 10.1177/23312165221121014. PMID: 36377351; PMCID: PMC9666870.