What’s the link between hearing loss and dementia?
According to the Hearing Matters report from the national charity Action on Hearing Loss, around 11 million people in the UK are living with hearing loss – that’s 1 in 6.
One of the key findings of the report is that people with mild hearing loss face twice the risk of developing dementia. Those with moderate hearing loss face 3 times the risk, while those with severe hearing loss are 5 times more at risk of developing dementia.
As we get older our brains “shrink” as a natural part of the aging process. But it appears that older adults with hearing loss lose brain mass at a faster rate than individuals with normal hearing. We hear with our brain, not with our ears. And when we have a hearing loss, the connections in the brain that respond to sound become reorganised. Hearing loss not only affects our ability to hear sounds accurately, but it also affects higher-level cognitive function - interfering with our ability to accurately process auditory information and make sense of it.
On average, people often take 10 years to seek help for their hearing loss.
Dr Arthur Wingfield, Professor of Neuroscience from Brandeis University in Massachusetts, has been studying the links between aging and the relationship between memory and hearing. Dr Wingfield said, "Even if you have just a mild hearing loss that is not being treated, cognitive load increases significantly. You have to put in so much effort just to perceive and understand what is being said that you divert resources away from storing what you have heard into your memory.”
Experts suggest that we take our hearing far more seriously. Getting our hearing tested annually and taking immediate action on hearing loss could help us have a better quality of life in our later years.
Book your free initial assessment
To book a free initial assessment with the hearing experts at Mary Hare Hearing Centre call 01635 523 343, email newburycentre@maryhare.org.uk or drop into 10 Weavers Walk, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 1AL. We're open Monday to Friday: 9am-1pm, 2pm-5pm or Saturdays: 9am-12.30pm.
For advice and information about dementia contact the Alzheimer's Society.
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