Alzheimer’s & Hearing

7th September, 2022

Take the first step to curb dementia

World Alzheimer’s Month/Day:

September is World Alzheimer’s Month and 21st September is World Alzheimer’s Day!

Raising awareness and educating about dementia is vital to build people’s knowledge and encourage support for those living with or who may know someone living with any form of dementia.

It is important to know that untreated hearing loss is one of the biggest contributing factors in developing dementia – just one of the many reasons why it is strongly advised to get your hearing checked regularly, to help keep your brain healthy.

Good hearing also leads to healthy communication, which is the foundation of healthy relationships. It creates the independence and security when you are not counting on someone else to interpret what’s being said. Having an optimum hearing ability has very many positive benefits on your brain’s functioning and overall health.

Hearing can decline at any age. World Health Organisation has suggested that over one billion people aged 12 to 35 years are at risk of losing their hearing due to exposure to excessively loud music etc. There are at least 1-2 babies in every 1000 are born with permanent hearing loss in one or both ears.

Poor hearing leads to poor memory. English and American studies show that changes in hearing (and sight) increase risk of dementia in older adults. New research also suggests that hearing loss is the most modifiable risk factors for dementia, meaning that correcting hearing loss will prevent more dementia than some of the other risk factors such as alcoholism, smoking, depression etc. There is sufficient data to suggest that use of hearing devices can slow cognitive decline.

A well-fitted hearing device and after-care is essential for getting best out of your ears and brain. Consumer magazine, Which conducted a large survey of people who had purchased hearing care packages from various hearing care providers such as Boots, Hidden Hearing, Amplifon, Scrivens, Specsavers and independent providers. Independent clinicians have consistently been on the top the overall categories scored for 1. Appointments/waiting time, 2. Products/pricing, 3. Staff/service, 4. Facilities.

Hearing care for an individual needs to be carefully planned with appropriate knowledge and skills. Apart from a thorough hearing assessment, the audiologist ought to perform a hearing need assessment in order to select the right device for each individual. The technology is then optimised via special clinical tool called Real Ear Measurements (REM). These measurements are performed with a special microphone sitting in the ear canal along with the hearing devices. They tell the audiologist how much sound the wearer is hearing at each of the speech frequencies through their hearing devices. This helps to optimise the amplification so that the hearing devices are comfortable and do the job properly for the wearer. These measurements are essential part of hearing device prescription process and have been found to increase adoption rate of hearing devices. Unfortunately, despite being cited in the best practice guidance in UK and most of the western world, not every audiologist performs these crucial measurements.

For a quick recap, hearing well is living well. Hearing affects all ages, and all kind of hearing issues have a solution. Hearing devices is one of the solutions and carefully, optimised modern devices can offer you a remarkable improvement. Take action on your hearing (and sight) and improve your quality of life. Too book an appointment, please contact the secretarial team today.

How do the hearing devices work?

All hearing aids have five basic components: microphone(s), amplifier, loudspeaker, battery and computer chip.

Today’s devices have come a long way since the days of using animal bones and ear trumpets, containing some of the most sophisticated technology to date! Modern technology is very good at reducing background noise and providing you a comfortable sound without any feedback issues. They look and feel great.

Symptoms of hearing loss and when to book a test?

The Age related hearing loss is natural and a fact of life. If you can relate to any of the below statements, we encourage you to take action and book a test with us:

“I often ask people to repeat what they say”
“It’s not easy to follow conversations, especially in groups”
“I wish people would stop mumbling so much”
“If someone talks to me from behind, I often do not hear them”
“Others complain that I have the TV volume set too high”

Three steps to better hearing for clients

Take three steps forward and no steps back with your hearing.

Get your hearing tested comprehensively.

Hearing screening DOES NOT offer full details on how well your ear and hearing are working. Have your hearing tested by a professional if you or others have shown concern.

Talk to a qualified hearing care professional.

Share what your needs are and learn about the options available to you following a thorough assessment.

Find the right solution.

Learn about non-technology options and try different hearing technology performance categories and find one that meets your expectations.

Get in touch to begin the three steps forward, no steps back process.

Here to help:

We are here to help! Audiology Planet offers a specialist ear and hearing clinic at Springbank House in Sevenoaks (parking available).

Get in touch if you are having problems with your hearing aids, you want to get your hearing aids checked, you are having any pain in your ears or whenever else you think is necessary.

We want to make sure your hearing is optimal!