At Hearing Wellness Solutions, we are committed to helping the non-profit group Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in their pursuit of spreading awareness and decreasing stigma of Alzheimer’s disease this September. Since 2012, the month of September has been deemed World Alzheimer’s Month. It is especially important that World Alzheimer’s Month be recognized as there continues to remain a cloud of confusion and misinformation surrounding dementia in general and Alzheimer’s in specific. Join us as we help advance ADI’s mission to end social stigma and increase awareness and action regarding Alzheimer’s disease.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of cognitive decline, or dementia. Dementia is a general term for a “decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life”. Alzheimer’s disease is the most commonly diagnosed form of dementia throughout the world, accounting for about 60-80% of all cases of dementia internationally.*
With Alzheimer’s disease, a buildup of amyloid plaque and tangled bundles of protein called tau interfere with the brain’s ability to communicate between neurons and function properly. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive, meaning it gets worse as time goes on. Because Alzheimer’s disease typically begins in the hippocampus, or the brain’s memory center, early signs of Alzheimer’s include difficulty with remembering information. This can include difficulty recalling important people or places from the past or difficulty remembering recently learned information. In the late stages, the brain tissue has been much more severely damaged and the affected person is no longer able to interact with her environment, hold conversations or care for basic daily living needs.**
Who develops Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is very prevalent, affecting about 10% of the US population over the age of 65. In fact, every 65 seconds a person in the United States and every 3 seconds someone in the world develops dementia. Age is still the number one risk factor of developing Alzheimer’s, however, early-onset Alzheimer’s affects about 200,000 Americans aged 30-65. It is estimated that by 2025, the number of people over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s is expected to increase to 7.1 million, a whopping 29% increase from the 5.5 million living with the disease today.***
Is Alzheimer’s disease connected to hearing loss?
Recently, a growing body of research has concluded that there is a clear correlation between untreated hearing loss and an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have found that people with severe or profound hearing loss are about five times as likely to develop dementia than their peers with normal hearing. Those with mild loss are about twice as likely to develop the disease.****
The reason for the correlation is unclear, although there are two popular schools of thought surrounding the issue. One possible explanation is that when the brain is using more resources while struggling to hear and understand conversations, less energy is leftover for other cognitive duties such as memory or problem solving – thus leading to dementia. The other idea plays on the fact that social isolation and lack of human interaction have long been a risk factor for developing dementia. Unfortunately, hearing loss often leads to social isolation, which can in turn lead to dementia.
How can I prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
Getting a hearing assessment is actually one concrete way to help reduce the risk of developing dementia. While untreated hearing loss increases the risk of developing dementia, hearing aids have also been shown to slow down the rates of cognitive decline in people with hearing loss. If you have noticed changes in your hearing, it is important to schedule a hearing screening as soon as possible.
Other ways to help prevent Alzheimer’s is to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes:
- Eating a healthy diet
- Getting regular exercise
- Quitting smoking
- Decreasing alcohol intake
- Caring for other health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure and hypertension
How can I get involved in World Alzheimer’s Month?
There are many ways to get involved in spreading awareness and reducing stigma and misinformation about Alzheimer’s disease. First, visit the Alzheimer’s Disease International’s World Alzheimer’s Month website here: https://www.worldalzmonth.org/get-involved/. Watch and share the informational video and be sure to use the hashtag #WorldAlzMonth. It is also important to talk to your friends and family about the Alzheimer’s and visit a doctor as soon as possible if you notice changes in your memory or problem solving abilities.
To schedule a hearing screening, contact us at Hearing Wellness Solutions today.
Sources:
*www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia
**www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages
***www.alz.org/media/HomeOffice/Facts%20and%20Figures/facts-and-figures.pdf
****www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hearing_loss_and_dementia_linked_in_study