Hear Better, Live Stronger: The Untold Benefits of Hearing Aids for Seniors

Hearing loss impacts all ages but has a unique effect on the quality of life of seniors. A variety of factors, such as social engagement, loss of balance, exercise, and brain health, are all affected by hearing loss and play a critical role in the overall health of our aging population. Hearing loss should not hinder how we live our everyday lives. Hearing aids for seniors who need them play an important role in healthy aging and can improve crucial aspects of overall health.

Hearing Loss, Falls, and Exercise

Hearing loss does more than impact our communication. Our ears play a critical role in how we understand the world around us. When we have trouble hearing, we can lose focus on our environments and have less awareness of our surroundings. Hearing loss causes an increase in cognitive load and may affect how we interact with the world. Our ears also play an important role in spatial awareness. Studies have shown that our risk of falls increases by 1.6 times with every 10 dB increase in hearing loss. Additionally, those with hearing loss seem to be more sedentary throughout the day; the more severe the loss, the less active individuals tend to be.

On average, people with hearing loss were found to be sedentary for 34 extra minutes per day compared to those with normal hearing. Exercise is crucial for the aging body and mind, and exercising safely while minimizing our risk of falls is essential for healthy aging. Research from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging showed that those who had hearing loss but wore hearing aids had better physical endurance than those who did not treat their hearing loss. Those with untreated hearing loss showed a more rapid physical decline ³. More research on how hearing aids impact physical activity needs to be conducted. Hearing aids for seniors with hearing loss seem to play an important role in maintaining healthy aging and helping people stay active safely.

Social Isolation and Hearing Loss

How we hear can be directly related to how we participate socially in our daily lives. If we can’t hear well and are constantly “faking it” in conversations or responding inappropriately to questions, it can become easier to avoid social gatherings altogether. Participating socially is healthy and has been shown to positively impact our aging population. As we disengage from our social networks, feelings of isolation can creep in, leading to feelings of depression and anxiety. People with hearing loss are more likely to experience feelings of depression and isolation. If hearing loss is affecting how, you or someone you love engages with social networks, an audiologist might help improve communication and offer recommendations. Hearing aids for seniors in these difficult situations could prove helpful in improving engagement in social situations. Engaging socially can result in a happier and more fulfilling quality of life, and helps keep us sharp as we age.

Untreated Hearing Loss and the Brain

Much like a muscle, the brain thrives on stimulation and “exercise” through engagement. The ears provide a means of stimulation by sending sound information from the world around us to the auditory cortex, which processes that information into something meaningful we understand. With hearing loss comes a decrease in sound stimulation, meaning the brain receives less information to process and, therefore, may shrink faster over time because it’s not being utilized.

Much like a muscle that shrinks when you stop lifting weights, the auditory cortex also shrinks when it receives less sound information. Studies show the brain can shrink by an additional cubic centimeter per year in those with untreated hearing loss. Some researchers believe there is an urgency to treat hearing loss due to the documented changes we see in the brain as a result of auditory deprivation ⁶. Some research has also shown that hearing aids seem to mitigate this accelerated decline associated with auditory deprivation. Hearing aids for seniors, children, and adults can positively impact how sound information is processed.

The Government of Canada identifies hearing loss as the largest reversible risk factor in midlife concerning dementia prevention, and the good news is, treating hearing loss can be a relatively simple and painless process that requires a simple trip to your local hearing clinic ⁵. In short, hearing aids for seniors, children, and adults alike can positively impact a person’s quality of life by improving communication, helping sounds reach the brain, stimulating the auditory cortex, decreasing auditory fatigue, and allowing for better environmental awareness.

If you’re in the Toronto or Forest Hill area and you’re curious about how hearing aids can help you, don’t hesitate to stop by the clinic to learn more!