You may have heard that hearing aids make you safer: they make sure that you are tuned into your environment and are aware of your surroundings. Even so, people tend to wait seven years from the time they first notice changes in their hearing until they get their hearing tested. During this time, a number of negative consequences may occur. Leaving hearing loss untreated has been linked to an increased risk for dementia, depression, anxiety, and falls, accidents, and hospitalization.
This latter consequence of accidents and falls linked with hearing loss might be explained by the interconnected nature of our hearing and balance systems. Our auditory processes and balance systems are located in the same area of our brains. New research has indicated that the use of hearing aids to treat hearing loss could also improve balance in older Americans.
Study: Patients with Hearing Aids in Both Ears Perform Better on Standard Balance Tests
A small study, conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and published in the journal Laryngoscope, suggests that the use of hearing aids in older adults helps them hear what’s going on around them and also may improve balance. The goal of the study was to examine whether sound information and the human balance system affected one another.
During this study, 14 participants between the ages of 65 and 91, were asked to perform balance tests with and without hearing aids. With their eyes covered, participants stood on foam pads and were asked to perform different task, such as standing on one foot or heel to toe. Researchers found that “patients with hearing aids in both ears perform better on standard balance tests when their hearing aids are turned on compared with when they are off.”
Additionally, they found that people who struggled with balance without hearing aids increased their balance time with the use of hearing aids. Perhaps the most interesting result was that participants in the study “did not report being consciously aware that they had performed better on the tests when their hearing aids were working.” Researchers acknowledge that this study tested a small sample and could benefit from a larger study.
Timothy Hullar, professor of otolaryngology and lead researcher on this study, says, “We don’t think it’s just that wearing hearing aids makes the person more alert. The participants appeared to be using the sound information coming through their hearing aids as auditory reference points or landmarks to help maintain balance. It’s a bit like using your eyes to tell where you are in space. If we turn out the lights, people sway a little bit – more than they would if they could see. This study suggests that opening your ears also gives you information about balance.”
The Link Between Hearing Loss and Hospitalization
In the US, one in three Americans age 65 and older, and 50% of Americans age 75 and older, experience some degree of hearing loss. Whether hearing loss is age-related or caused by exposure to noise, researchers have listed countless benefits of treating hearing loss with hearing aids as soon as possible. A study from 2015 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, led by Dr. Dane J. Genther from Johns Hopkins University, found links between untreated hearing loss and increased hospitalizations in older Americans.
Researchers began with 3,075 well-functioning participants between the ages of 70 and 79. In the fifth year of the study, researchers administered audiometric assessments. From these audiometric assessments, researchers categorized participants based on their varying hearing levels (normal hearing, mild hearing impairment, and moderate or greater hearing impairment).
Over 12 years of tracking study participants, researchers found that people with a mild hearing impairment experienced a 17% greater annual rate of hospitalization, while the annual rate increased to 19% for those with moderate or higher hearing impairment. In other words, researchers concluded that “hearing-impaired older adults experience a greater incidence and annual rate of hospitalization than those with normal hearing.”
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- Oticon Hearing Aids
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The Benefits of Using Hearing Aids
Recognizing the symptoms of hearing loss and being fitted for hearing aids drastically improves the lives of older Americans. With advancements in hearing aid technology, hearing aids are smart, discreet, and easy to control.
Hearing aids reconnect you with the world around you and ensure that you are aware and safe. To begin your journey to better hearing health, contact us at Hearing Wellness Solutions today.
