“Research shows that people hold off for ten years before they do anything about their hearing”, says Gemma Twitchen, Senior Audiology Specialist at Action on Hearing Loss.
“There’s a huge stigma around hearing aids and people are very reluctant to wear them – even embarrassed. Historically, they’ve never been the most attractive things – everyone has images of big banana things and they were always whistling – but they’re more subtle now. You can even get them to match your hair colour”.
Of the 11 million people with hearing loss in the UK, 70% are over the age of 70, and, as several studies have suggested that hearing loss is linked with an increased risk of dementia, getting a hearing aid earlier, rather than later, may have added benefits.
Last year, US expert Frank Lin, announced that he was about to embark on the first clinical trial to study whether hearing aids could prevent or mitigate brain decline. The vast majority of dementias in later life are multifactorial, he said, but the role of hearing loss has not been properly studied.
Research led by Lin in 2013 suggested that hearing loss is linked to a 30% – 40% greater risk of cognitive decline than that faced by people without hearing loss.
The study showed that people with hearing loss often strain to listen during conversation and everyday life, overtaxing their brain and weakening their working memory.
“Get your hearing assessed as soon as possible”, says Gemma. “It’s much harder to adjust to hearing aids as you age. The brain adapts to your hearing loss and takes time to re-adjust. Hearing aids will keep you in communication with others and help you stay socially active. If you notice you are asking people to repeat things, turning up the TV, or think people are mumbling, I would advise taking action now”.
This article has been reproduced from SAGA.co.uk/JUNE-MAG and submitted by Donald Farrell, UK Certified Hearing Aid Audiologist with Alternative Hearing.
To contact Alternative Hearing:
call 97799281 or 97790245,
email alternativehearing@cytanet.com.cy, or
visit their website at www.alternativehearingcyprus.com
