Can Hearing Aids Help Me Live Longer?

Can Hearing Aids Help Me Live Longer?

by | Oct 15, 2024 | Hearing Aids

There have been a plethora of scientific studies recently that connect your hearing health to your cognitive functions, as in the parts of your brain responsible for recalling information, memory, and logical reasoning.

If you’ve seen some of these alarming statistics, you might be wondering if it’s worth getting your hearing tested—our answer is, of course, yes! The sooner you take control of your hearing health, the better.

Recently I came across a study from earlier this year that has a much more hopeful conclusion: hearing aids, when used correctly, could significantly boost your lifespan.

This new study, taken on by Dr. Janet Choi from the University of Southern California, examined how regular use of hearing aids affected almost 10,000 participants who had some level of hearing loss challenges.

Dr. Choi found that the group of patients who wore hearing aids regularly had a 24 percent lower risk of premature mortality compared to the group who didn’t wear hearing aids at all.

Hearing aids could literally save your life. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline, which can lead to dementia later in life; it’s also been linked to a higher chance of falling and harming yourself, social isolation, and even balance issues.

With the help of professional hearing care and advanced hearing aid technology, you can avoid these concerning risks to your holistic health and continue to enjoy your active, independent lifestyle.

How Can Hearing Aids Increase My Lifespan?

Dr. Choi emphasizes that hearing aids are not the only solution to living a longer life—it’s with regular wear and routine use that you can avoid that heightened risk of premature mortality.

Professional hearing care keeps you active and social, helps you rejoin the conversation, and improves your memory, but Dr. Choi found that just 12 percent of her study’s participants wore their hearing aids regularly outside of the study.

Some individuals get hearing aids but become impatient with the learning curve that presents itself when you have to effectively relearn how to hear. As a result, they never fully adapt to wearing them and neglect to wear their hearing aids regularly.

Dr. Choi, a hearing aid wearer herself, hopes that her study will help show people that advanced hearing aid technology has come far from the bulky and awkward instruments of old, the stereotypical image that many people think of when they imagine hearing aids.

In a CNN article from after the publication of the study, Dr. Choi says, “A lot of people are not using hearing aids because they don’t want to look older. They don’t want to be associated with disability, but it really doesn’t have to be that way.”

Concerned About Your Hearing?

Professional hearing care can make a huge positive impact on your life if you take it seriously. With the help of hearing aids and regular hearing assessments, you can see great improvements in your memory, your balance, and your overall health!

Our team at Audiology Associates would love to see you for your hearing care needs. We work alongside you to determine the best plan of action for your lifestyle and health needs.

Questions or concerns about hearing care? Please feel free to request a callback and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can to help.

Alternatively, you can find your closest clinic and call us for a more immediate conversation.

When Was Your Last Hearing Test

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Dr. Melissa Segev Au.D

Dr. Segev, co-owner of Audiology Associates, proudly represents the values of excellent patient care upon which her practice was established in 1977. She understands that to properly treat the patient, excellent state-of-the-art medical testing is required along with acute listening and understanding of the patient’s perceptions of how they are feeling and what their needs might be.

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