It’s estimated that 20 percent of adults have hearing loss in Lake Charles. Impaired hearing presents many challenges to daily life, but hearing aids prove beneficial to nine out of ten people with hearing loss. Not only do they improve your ability to communicate, reduce stress and fatigue and enable you to enjoy a happier, more productive social life – evidence shows they can actually help you live longer, too.
How Do Hearing Aids Help?
Hearing aids are sophisticated devices that boost audio signals, helping those with poor hearing communicate more effectively. Yet there are people who are hesitant to treat their impairment with hearing aids. Reasons vary – doubt, fear and self-confidence are all factors – but the benefits to wearing them are simply too great to ignore.
Hearing aids can help you enjoy a longer life by:
- Improving your balance. Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in older individuals. Wearing hearing aids relieves your brain of some of the burden involved in processing sounds. Studies show that even mild forms of hearing loss increase your risk of falling by three times, as the brain is unable to devote its full attention to the balance system.
- Helping in emergency situations. Hearing loss usually affects the higher frequencies, so when you are in dangerous situations, you might not be able to avoid injury (or worse) if you suffer from impaired hearing. Emergency vehicle sirens, car horns and smoke detectors all emit high-pitched sounds to alert you to danger. Compromised hearing means you might not receive adequate warning.
- Preventing depression. Numerous studies show a positive link between untreated hearing loss and feelings of anxiety, sadness and depression. This is particularly true in older adults. A study by the National Council on Aging shows that wearing hearing aids reduces your risk of depression by at least 8 percent.
- Reducing social isolation. Withdrawal and social isolation are common in people with hearing loss; many find participating in activities too exhausting, both mentally and physically. Studies show a strong correlation between loneliness, isolation and higher mortality rates.
- Lowering your risk of dementia. In people with hearing loss, the brain must work harder to process sounds. Doing so is costly, as cognitive resources must be diverted from important areas such as memory and cognition. This increases your odds of developing memory impairment and dementia.
If you or a loved one is suffering from hearing loss in Scottsdale, schedule a consultation with an audiologist to learn more about the positive benefits of hearing aids.