The Lancet medical journal identified a list of lifestyle factors that can be modified to help reduce our risk of developing dementia. Smoking and obesity have been found to contribute to the risk of dementia, along with depression and social isolation. However, surprisingly the highest contributor to our dementia risk is the hearing loss that so often comes with age. There is an easy answer to reduce this risk — wearing hearing aids.
As many as 40 per cent of adults who are aged over 50 have a hearing loss — but only half of those who would benefit from using a hearing aid actually wear one. Evidence from the charity Action on Hearing Loss also suggests that people wait on average ten years before seeking help for their hearing loss and that, when they finally do, GPs fail to refer 30 to 45 per cent of them to audiology services.
We know that those people who try to cope with hearing loss often end up being isolated and will switch off in social situations. This is because it can be a real struggle for them to try to keep up with conversations. However, new-technology hearing aids that are fitted correctly can really make a difference to one’s ability to participate in social life and other daily interactions.
The sooner you can get started with your hearing aids, the more likely you are to get real benefit from wearing them. Studies are now under way looking at the improvements in participants’ brain function that can be provided by a hearing aid. When a group who wore hearing aids were compared to a group who did not, the group who wore the hearing aids performed better in assessments of working memory and in aspects of attention than those who did not. On one attention measure, people who wore hearing aids also showed faster reaction times than those not wearing them.
Dr Anne Corbett, from the University of Exeter, says: “Previous research has shown that hearing loss is linked to a loss of brain function, memory and an increased risk of dementia. Our work is one of the largest studies to look at the impact of wearing a hearing aid and suggests that wearing a hearing aid could actually protect the brain. We now need more research and a clinical trial to test this and perhaps feed into policy to help keep people healthy in later life.”
“The message here is that if you’re advised you need a hearing aid, find one that works for you,” says Professor Clive Ballard, of the University of Exeter Medical School.
“At the very least, it will improve your hearing and it could help keep your brain sharp too.”
Paul Checkley is clinical director at the independent hearing clinic North London Hearing, HCA Healthcare Golders Green Outpatients and Diagnostics, 020 8455 6361
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