If you had the chance to prevent or reduce the risk of cognitive decline as you grew older, how much would you be willing to pay for it?
What would you say to 15 dollars per week? That’s roughly the cost of an expertly-programmed pair of hearing aids, which the newest research shows can decrease the risk of cognitive decline in seniors with hearing loss.
Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that “self-reported hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older adults; hearing aid use attenuates such decline.”
The study observed 3,670 adults age 65 and older during a 25 year time period. The study observed that the rate of cognitive decline was larger in those with hearing loss compared to those with normal hearing. But the participants with hearing loss who used hearing aids exhibited no difference in the rate of cognitive decline compared to those with normal hearing.
Numerous studies out of Johns Hopkins University have likewise confirmed that hearing loss is linked with more rapid cognitive decline, depression, and in some instances even dementia.
So, hearing loss can lead to accelerated rates of cognitive decline, but wearing hearing aids can deter this decline. The question is, how does hearing loss trigger cognitive decline?
A generally acceptable theory is that hearing loss tends to diminish social interaction and stimulation to the auditory components of the brain, resulting in changes in brain chemistry and structure. These changes are believed to account for the decline in cognitive function as well as the onset of depressive signs and symptoms.
Hearing Loss and Mortality
An additional study out of Johns Hopkins University evaluated 1,666 adults age 70 or older who had received a hearing test. The participants were put into three groups: (1) no hearing loss, (2) mild hearing loss, and (3) moderate to severe hearing loss. Then, mortality was reviewed for each group, with the following results, as described by Johns Hopkins researchers:
“Interestingly, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors, their results suggested that moderate or more severe hearing loss was associated with a 39% increased risk of mortality, while a mild hearing loss had a 21% increased risk of mortality, compared to those with normal hearing.”
This is not to suggest that hearing loss directly has an effect on mortality rates, but rather that the consequences of hearing loss can. Hearing loss has been shown to bring about cognitive decline and decreased levels of social interaction and physical activity. This triggers changes to the brain and diminished physical and social activity levels, which more obviously can impact mortality rates.
Hearing Aids Can Help
The real cost of hearing loss, then, is a whole lot more than just inconvenience or missing out on a couple of conversations. Hearing loss could compromise your mental, physical, and social health—and possibly even your life.
As more research is carried out, and as we come to be more educated on the real costs of hearing loss, $15 per week for a set of top quality hearing aids will seem like nothing at all.