Friends, just as eating, drinking, seeing, speaking, walking, sleeping are necessary for humans to live a good life, hearing is also important, which many of us take lightly. Changes in hearing ability, especially in older adults, can have important implications for cognitive health, including the risk of developing dementia. Today, through this article, we will tell you the connection between dementia and deafness-
Dementia, characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline, may be associated with hearing problems, suggesting that hearing loss may be a risk factor rather than just a symptom.
Early intervention recognizing hearing loss can help alert individuals and healthcare providers to cognitive decline before significant decline occurs.
Risk factors for dementia:
Hearing loss is one of the nine major, modifiable risk factors for dementia.
Lifestyle changes, such as addressing hearing loss, can improve overall health and potentially reduce the risk of dementia.
Impact of hearing loss:
Individuals with hearing loss in middle age are five times more likely to develop dementia.
Participants with poor hearing were found to be almost twice as likely to develop dementia as those with normal hearing.
Awareness of hearing loss:
Many participants who struggled to speak in noise did not report hearing loss, highlighting the need to regularly assess hearing ability, even if there are no symptoms.