Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline

If you’re over age 50 and you ever catch yourself asking people “What?” or “Huh?” more often than you used to, you’re not alone. Hearing loss becomes much more prevalent as we age. Evelyn Sell, AuD, an audiologist at Franciscan Health, provides details on hearing loss, including age-related hearing loss and how it can factor into cognitive decline.

How Common Is Hearing Loss?

“The percentage of people with hearing loss increases with age,” explained Sell. Here’s how hearing loss risk increases with each decade over age 50:

What Are The Types Of Hearing Loss?

There are two main types of hearing loss:

• Sensorineural hearing loss. “About 95% of hearing loss falls into this category,” said Sell. This is the typical, age-related hearing loss or can be caused by noise exposure, certain antibiotics that are toxic to hearing or viruses. This type is permanent and irreversible.
• Conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is less common and is caused by a problem in the outer or middle ear. This hearing loss may be treated medically or surgically and may involve the eardrum or the tiny bones in the ear.

What Are Early Signs Of Hearing Loss?

In many cases, family or friends may notice a person’s early hearing loss before the person even notices it. Keep an eye out for these early signs of hearing loss:

• Asking people to repeat what they’ve said
• Leaning toward the person who’s speaking and carefully watching their face
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Speaking increasingly louder
• Turning the television volume louder
• Withdrawing from social situations – especially in loud environments or group settings

Treatments For Hearing Loss

While most hearing loss cannot be reversed, experts can help it. Depending on your situation and type of hearing loss, treatment options include:

• Earwax removal
• Hearing aids
• Medication changes to reduce symptoms like tinnitus
• Steroid treatments to help improve sudden hearing loss
• Tympanoplasty to correct a hole in the eardrum

Hearing Aid Types

There is a tremendous amount of hearing aid technology on the market today. “Hearing aids are much better today in terms of sound quality than they were even 10 years ago,” Sell said. There are two main types of hearing aids:

• Custom, In the ear hearing aids
• Over-the-ear hearing aids

Sell shares the following hearing aid features:

• Many of today’s models connect to your smartphone via a mobile app so you can use your smartphone as your hearing aid remote control.
• Some hearing aids are rechargeable, so you don’t have to continually buy new batteries.
• Some models function like Apple AirPods, allowing the wearer to make and receive phone calls and listen to music.
• Directional microphones and improved sound processors can help with hearing in difficult listening situations by helping to focus on what is front and reduce the volume of sounds coming from behind the wearer.

Sound Processing Challenges

Hearing aids significantly improve overall hearing and communication for most people.  At the same time, Sell said that people need to keep in mind that hearing aids do not fix or restore the hearing loss. We hear and process with our brains – and our ears bring the sound into our brains.

“While a hearing aid can help bring in sounds that a person isn’t hearing, there’s also the processing part,” she said. “With some patients, it’s not just the hearing that’s the issue, they can also have trouble with the brain being able to process what’s being communicated.”

What Is The Connection Between Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline?

Many factors play into cognitive decline, which includes dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The majority of a person’s risk for having cognitive decline has to do with age and genetics – two things that we can’t do anything about.

However, some modifiable (controllable and changeable) risk factors contribute to cognitive decline. These include:

• Depression
• Diabetes
• Hearing loss
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Inactivity
• Obesity
• Smoking

Communication disorders, such as hearing loss, impact social engagement which in turn impacts quality of life. “We cannot say hearing loss causes cognitive decline,” explained Sell. “But treating hearing loss early and keeping people socially engaged and involved will help keep their cognitive function working better – and possibly change the trajectory of how cognitive decline might happen.”

When people experience hearing loss as they age, they may tend to withdraw from certain social situations that are especially noisy. That’s because the brain has to work much harder just to hear regular conversations, which can be a major drain on the person. However, missing out on engaging with friends, family members and community groups can quickly lead to social isolation and depression. What’s more, the more you use your auditory pathway, the better it will be. That’s why seeking help is important if you or a loved one may have hearing loss.

Don’t Wait – Get Care Now

Sell suggested that anyone over age 50 get a baseline hearing test to check their current hearing. After that, you should get a hearing test every five years or when you notice any hearing loss symptoms. Hearing aids come with a trial period of 30 days to give the user time to adjust. If not satisfied, they can be returned. If you have concerns about your hearing or are ready to schedule a hearing test, contact Franciscan Audiology.