Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Adriana Villalobos, M.A. CCC-A
Did you know hearing loss can have a significant effect on your health and quality of life?
Hearing loss is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. If hearing loss is left untreated it can lead to: Stress, fatigue and tension; depression or anxiety as well as poor memory and difficulty following directions.
Also surprising to some people, studies have found that hearing loss is also associated with falls. The inner ear is not only responsible for our hearing but also for our balance. These research studies show the greater the hearing loss, the higher the risk for falling. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among the elderly.
A study in 2009 found a correlation between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease and a study in 2008 found that people with diabetes were more likely to have hearing impairment.
Where is the good news in all this research?
The consistent use of hearing aids has been found to improve cognitive abilities and overall sense of well-being.
The important message is that some of the health issues we thought were due to aging may be related to hearing loss and if we start using hearing aids early, we may avoid some of these problems all together!
This is good news since we are all getting older, and we can start getting hearing tests at a younger age and be proactive to protect our hearing.
Once we find we have a hearing loss we need to start using hearing aids to prevent these long-term effects that come from untreated hearing loss.
What should you do to prevent the effects of untreated hearing loss?
One- if you are over age 55 get a hearing test, even just as a baseline for future reference. If slight or mild hearing loss is detected, repeat the test every 1- 2 years to monitor.
Two- If the hearing test indicates hearing loss, don’t wait to get started with hearing aids. The time it takes for people to accept hearing loss and get help has been researched as well. According to an article in Hearing Review, the average person waits up to 7-10 years before getting hearing help.
Three- Once you are fitted with hearing aids, wear them consistently. They won’t help you hear better or lessen the effects on your health if they are sitting in a drawer.
Why Choose Adriana?
Adriana Villalobos, M.A. CCC-A, has been an Audiologist in Naples since 1999. Adriana is a 1991 graduate of the University of Texas and winner of the Sertoma Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Throughout her more than 30 years of experience as an Audiologist, Adriana has worked in an array of environments, including completing her clinical fellowship at Houston Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Houston, Texas. Adriana’s specialties include fitting and dispensing services, as well as Assistive Listening Device technology. These specialties allow her to create individualized solutions for her patients in order to meet their unique hearing needs. Adriana is a Bilingual Spanish Speaker and also volunteers her time to assist with the large Spanish speaking community in need in Southwest Florida.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/
symptoms-causes/syc-20373072
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hearing_
loss_and_dementia_linked_in_study
The University of Maryland Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, 2018 Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuropsychologia.
The University of Melbourne 2020
https://hearingreview.com/hearing-loss/hearing-loss-prevention/
risk-factors/hearing-loss-associated-comorbidities-know)
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/
the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss
