The Connection Between Cognitive Decline and Hearing Loss | Here Is the Alarming Data

As we age, there are several health concerns that are expected to arise. Hearing loss is among them, and so is cognitive decline.

Is there a connection?

According to a meta-analysis and review published in JAMA Neurology, the connection is significant enough to raise concerns. The alarming conclusions from the Singapore-based study should serve as a wake-up call for those with an untreated hearing loss.

Our team of hearing care professionals at Hearing + Balance Clinics is dedicated to helping you and others throughout Northeast Georgia understand how your hearing health is a critical part of your overall health and your quality of life.

Here is a summary of two of the key findings that you should pay attention to.

Dementia Is Far Easier to Prevent than Treat

Dr. Benjamin Tan of the National University of Singapore laid things out pretty clearly by saying, “Dementia is far easier to prevent than treat, and exceedingly difficult to reverse.”

The study’s main objective was to examine the impact of hearing aids on cognitive decline and the development of dementia. Fortunately, the results showed that hearing aid usage translates into a 19 percent reduction in long-term cognitive decline.

Essentially, this means that the use of hearing aids or electronic (cochlear) implants to address hearing loss can also help prevent the onset of cognitive decline and dementia.

Hearing Aids Slow Down the Progression of Existing Cognitive Decline

Many of the patients we see have already begun to experience mild cognitive impairment, known as early dementia, because they waited too long to get help for their hearing challenges.

Fortunately, the study also shows that the use of hearing aids or electronic implants can decrease the progression of your existing cognitive decline by about 20 percent.

This means that even if you’ve experienced mild cognitive decline before you sought treatment and began using hearing aids, you can still prevent long-term dementia from advancing to devastating levels.

How Important Is Your Hearing Health?

Cognitive decline and dementia severely limit your capacity to enjoy an active and independent lifestyle as you continue to age.

For this reason, it is critical that regular hearing assessments take priority beside routine eye exams, dental checkups, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, and annual physicals.

A quick, easy, and noninvasive hearing assessment allows you to get ahead of any potential hearing health issues as well as prevent cognitive decline and the development of dementia.

The hearing care professionals at Hearing + Balance Clinics deliver advanced-level personalized hearing care to address your unique hearing challenges.

We fully understand the consequences of untreated hearing loss, and we are committed to ensuring that both your hearing and your cognitive well-being remain intact for years to come.

If you or a loved one is struggling with their hearing or beginning to show signs of cognitive decline, we urge you to schedule a hearing assessment online or call us at the clinic nearest you:

Watkinsville – 706-549-3111
Loganville – 678-580-3313
Lavonia – 706-356-0377