Hearing Aids Help Your Brain

How can hearing aids help your brain?

Whilst it is true that living with hearing loss can be a challenge, with appropriate equipment and support from your family and friends, you can lead a full and happy life. In fact, wearing hearing aids has been shown to significantly improve the quality of life for hearing-impaired individuals.

Hearing loss and dementia

A 2011 study by John Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging suggested that elderly people who suffer from hearing loss are also more likely to suffer from dementia over time.[1]

Undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss can lead to feelings of isolation and frustration; sometimes it can even lead to depression. People with hearing loss have an accelerated rate of brain tissue loss, which contributes to the chances of dementia.

The risk of dementia was found to increase in line with the severity of the hearing loss i.e. for every 10 decibels of hearing lost, the risk of dementia increased by 20 percent.

The study found that for individuals over the age of 60, more than one third of those with dementia also had a hearing loss. Even after researchers eliminated other common factors for dementia such as age, sex, race, high blood pressure and diabetes, the connection with hearing loss remained. Therefore, identifying a hearing loss as early as possible can contribute significantly to slowing the potential onset of dementia.

grandmother and child looking at tablet screen

What options are there?

Hearing aids can not only assist your cognitive abilities but your overall life as well. Today’s digital hearing aids are a far cry from the bulky and sometimes unsightly analogue hearing aids of the past. They are smaller, more efficient and aesthetically more appealing. Most hearing aids can also be customised and tailored to an individual’s ear shape for improved comfort.

Hearing aids come in various styles and are specific to the severity of hearing loss. Some of the most popular styles include:

  • In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids have twin microphones & offer great sound clarity. These are useful for people with moderate to severe hearing loss.
  • Open ear or receiver-in-the-ear (RTE) hearing aids are discreet and generally more popular. They provide natural sound clarity and are beneficial for those with moderate hearing loss.
  • Completely in the canal (CIC) hearing aids are very tiny. They don’t have manual controls and are less powerful than the above. These hearing aids are most helpful to people with mild hearing loss.

What to do next

Before you decide which hearing aids to buy, you should have your hearing tested. At Leightons Opticians and Hearing Care, we offer a free full hearing assessment which will take no more than 60-90 minutes. We will carry out a thorough lifestyle consultation and an in-depth hearing health check using advanced audiometric procedures and state-of-the-art equipment, to build the best picture of your hearing as well as your lifestyle requirements.

Based on the hearing test result, your audiologist will help you find the best solution for you from our wide range of digital hearing aids, should you require them. Our free hearing aid demonstration will also give you an idea about how your hearing can improve with the new hearing aids.

You are also assured of a tailored lifetime aftercare with follow-up appointments and support, at no additional cost. It is extremely important to remember that, unlike with new glasses, you will not get an instant finished result as soon as you put on new hearing aids. Your audiologist will need to continue to help you fine-tune your hearing aids over a period of time as you slowly get used to them, to make sure you get the best from them.

You can book a full hearing assessment online, or call our Dedicated Patient Support team on 0800 40 20 20.

[1] Lin FR et al (2011). Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia. Arch Neurol. 68(2):214-220.

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The perfect couple: Your hearing aid and smartphone
The perfect couple: Your hearing aid and smartphone
Every day, everywhere you go, you carry around a hi-def camera, a TV, a radio, a computer, an entire library, and a telephone, all at once. Yes – your smartphone is an incredible feat of technology. If you suffer from hearing loss, a smartphone combined with a hearing aid can transform your world. Maybe you’ve started to turn up the radio in the car, or you’re now relying on subtitles to enjoy your favourite TV programme. Hearing aids are smarter than ever before. Hearing aids that are even better with a smartphone Oticon Opn The world’s first internet-connected hearing aid – so you won’t be surprised to learn that it connects to your smartphone. Read more about the Oticon Opn. ReSound LiNX2 ReSound created the first ‘Made for iPhone’ hearing aid, so they know what they’re talking about when it comes to smartphone connectivity. Read more about the ReSound LiNX2. Mobile connectivity So why all the fuss about linking your hearing aid to a smartphone? Let’s take Oticon Opn hearing aids as an example: Oticon ON app lets you access a world of entertainment at the touch of a button. You can stream audio from one compatible device directly into your ear, at the volume that’s right for you. From TV to radio and even in the car, you have control. And it lets you adjust settings without having to faff about with fiddly buttons and switches on your hearing aid. Hearing aids for iPhone and Android Not having an iPhone doesn’t mean you’re missing out on the era of mobile connectivity either. There are many other devices on the market, including Phonak’s Audeo B-Direct, which are compatible with Android smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy series. How hearing aids and smartphones talk to each other Perhaps the only technology to be named after a Norse king, Bluetooth is a form of wireless connection – think of it like a short-range, less energy intensive version of Wi-Fi. Hearing aids with Bluetooth can connect to your smartphone and other personal devices. This is because it creates a personalised listening experience. The audio can be streamed straight to your ears and can match the personal settings of your hearing aids. And if you’re a music buff you can transform your hearing aids into your very own wireless earphones. You can even decide whether you want to stream audio to just one hearing aid or both. Hearing care If you’d like more information on the type of hearing aid that’s right for you, or you’d like to book a free hearing assessment, then talk to our friendly team of Leightons experts on 0800 40 20 20. You can also pop into your nearest Leightons branch or book an appointment online.
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