There’s a very basic message for anybody suffering from hearing loss: Use hearing aids.
Why? A recent study found that people were not as likely to develop health issues like depression, anxiety, dementia, and dangerous falls if they started using hearing aids within three years of being diagnosed with hearing impairment. While these health issues aren’t proven to be eliminated by hearing aids, fewer health problems have been connected to their use. Results from the study showed 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.
Refrain From Making Excuses
It’s worthwhile to keep in mind that when it comes to your health, these numbers might seem low but they’re still considerable. Prior research has demonstrated a correlation between hearing loss and other serious health problems, but this study proved it’s an ongoing, declining issue. But many people who have hearing impairment don’t have it treated or ever use hearing aids. Why not? Not having the appropriate insurance to cover some of the expenses is a typical issue. And the expense may still be too high even with insurance.
Some individuals actually go in and get fitted but when they get their hearing aid home, it feels like too much trouble to wear them, so they don’t. Many people don’t view hearing loss as an important concern because they can turn up the TV volume to solve the problem.
Louder volume on the TV won’t solve the issue, however, and while hearing loss might seem to be an unavoidable part of growing older, there is a lot more to it.
Healthy Hearing is Important
Hearing is obviously a huge part of communication. If your inability to communicate causes you to miss an important instruction by your physician or direction by a family member, that’s a problem. Consequently, communicating your concerns and symptoms will be a challenge.
There are also some less obvious issues associated with inadequate communication. If attempting to have a conversation on the phone leaves you feeling frustrated and embarrassed, you might start to lose touch with people in your support system. And clearly, your chance of developing dementia is higher if your brain doesn’t get enough stimulation which happens when you are unable to hear.
The Advantages of Hearing Aids
Buying a hearing aid isn’t all about severe, 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 reduces your chances of feeling isolated and lets you partake more completely in your social life. When you can communicate intelligibly with your physician, you can accurately share the health concerns you are experiencing and comprehend your doctor’s treatment plan to reduce your anxiety even more.
Is it time to look into a hearing aid? If you have any of the following symptoms, the answer is yes:
- Asking people to repeat themselves frequently
- Being so afraid you won’t be able to follow conversations, you stay away from social situations
- Background noise makes it hard to hear when somebody is talking to you
- Watching TV at very loud volume
These are only some of the symptoms that could reveal you should look into a hearing aid. If any of them sound familiar, ask us if a hearing aid might be the right choice for you.