A meteorite is about to hit planet Earth over the course of the next 10–20 years. This will come in the form of health issues associated with our rapidly ageing population. As we live longer lives, our risk for chronic disease also increases. Whist there’s currently no cure for the most common chronic conditions, treatments are becoming far more effective, especially when they are delivered in time.
This brief article aims to give readers a preview of material covered in detail at my Hearing & Brain Health seminars focussing on the clear links between untreated hearing loss and dementia and what can be done about it. I’ve spent hundreds of hours pulling together the most relevant and interesting research I can find. If you’ve not already been, I sincerely hope you can find the time to join us at our next session to learn more about this important subject.
Hearing Loss is the third most common chronic condition in Australia, more prevalent than diabetes or cancer. The most widespread form of hearing loss is acquired later in life and is essentially a progressive, degenerative disorder with neurologic involvement. As we age, we, and every other mammal on the planet, are genetically predetermined to progressively endure the effects of hearing loss.
Over eighty percent of hearing loss occurs in older adults, and a noise-induced component occurs in around half of cases. Age- and noise-related hearing loss are the most common, are permanent, and cause similar hearing loss configurations and similar symptoms. When both ageing and noise exposure are present, they combine to cause a relatively rapid decline in hearing sensitivity. Noise exposure is very much like premature ageing of the hearing system; as similar degenerative processes are at play.
Age and noise related hearing loss will commonly result in one or more of the following:
· Difficulty hearing in background noise & social situations
· Difficulty hearing the TV at normal volume
· Difficulty hearing when faces can be seen e.g. from another room
· A higher degree of listening effort generally, frequently leading to fatigue
What is not overtly obvious to most people is that we hear with our brains and not with our ears. What happens beyond the ear, with particular reference to the neural pathways the lead to the brain are of most interest. Recent advances in the neurosciences and imaging technology has given us greater insight into the impact of untreated hearing loss and what can be done about it.
Untreated hearing loss has been shown to double dementia risk even at its mildest stages.In 2011, Professor Frank Lin at the Johns Hopkins Medical Centre in the US published research that demonstrated an increased risk of dementia by:
– 200 percent at mild levels of hearing loss
– 300 percent at moderate levels of hearing loss
– 500 percent at severe levels of hearing loss
He concluded that hearing impairment is independently associated with a 30-40% acceleration in cognitive decline.
These shocking findings have since been replicated and have sparked additional research interest into this important field. Professor Lin has published numerous peer reviewed studies, many with with clear imagery highlighting cerebral atrophy in untreated hearing loss.
Figure 1. Untreated hearing loss results in up to 40% reduction in parts of the brain associated with hearing, speech, language and memory (Lin et al. 2011).
The Lancet Medical journal (considered to be the world’s leading medical journal with reference to the Neurosciences) recently published a major article demonstrating that Hearing Loss is the #1 modifiable risk factor for the prevention of dementia, modifiable meaning you can do something about it.
The three main mechanisms behind the clear links between untreated hearing loss and dementia identified in the Lancet article and elsewhere are cerebral atrophy, cognitive overload and social isolation:
· Cerebral Atrophy: This is another term for ‘brain shrinkage’ as shown in the image above. In untreated hearing loss, we see up to 40% reduction in the parts of the brain associated with speech, language, hearing and memory. Recent studies have also shown clear functional and structural improvements in the brain when hearing loss is effectively treated.
· Cognitive Overload: Put simply, untreated hearing loss strains the brain and puts an additional load on our limited cognitive resources. This additional load is 24/7 and requires input from our vision and memory to compensate for a lack of hearing clarity. Such additional load can also lead to balance disturbance and unsteadiness, leading to a heightened risk of falls.
· Social Isolation: One of the first signs of hearing loss is difficulty hearing in social situations, this often leads to embarrassment and frequently a sense of feeling left out. A strong trend is that people with untreated hearing loss start to then avoid social situations, frequently leading to social isolation and loneliness. Studies have shown clear links between social isolation, depression, anxiety and less physical activity. By treating your hearing loss, you’re better able to engage and stay sharp in social, family and work situations.
Treatment is most effective when it commences early, today’s treatment options are smaller and smarter than ever before. On average, Australians have historically waited 7 years before treating their hearing loss. In light of the neurological consequences, we now know that’s 7 years too late. Today’s solutions are highly effective, virtually invisible and can be fitted at the initial appointment, quickly and easily in most cases.
In addition to hearing devices, innovative brain training programs can assist in improving speech in noise understanding by up to 40%. One program has shown to reduce dementia risk by 36% sustained over a 10-year period. These results are achievable via simple and engaging programs that can be done at home, all backed up by peer reviewed research.
You’ll learn about all of the above and much more at our Hearing & Brain Health seminar. It’s absolutely free, purely educational and not focused on sales. I highly recommend you bring someone you care about as there’s much to take in.
For Brisbane seminars click on landing.neuaudio.com.au/brisbane
For Melbourne Seminars click on landing.neuaudio.com/melbourne
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It has been a pleasure working with Gina, she came to me around a year ago as she was losing clarity in her hearing. She attended one of my Hearing & Brain Health seminars and was shocked by the statistics and discrepancies around treatment rates of vision vs hearing loss. As a professional copywriter, she kindly offered to share her perspective in the form of a guest post and case study. I hope you find this helpful – Best Regards Andrew
Why is it that when someone is told they need glasses, they accept it as a fact of life but when told they need hearing aids, they go into panic mode? Both situations warrant medical intervention, and both are caused by the degeneration of an organ (well, a pair of organs), yet one seems to evoke so much more concern than the other. People are often shocked by the news that they need hearing aids but fully accept it when told they need to wear glasses. Glasses are seen not just as an important tool to correct vision but as a fashion accessory, while hearing aids seem to be viewed more as a medical prosthetic.
At age 51, I was told I needed to wear hearing aids and it did indeed come as a great shock to me. No one in my family had ever worn them. That doesn’t mean they didn’t need to, just that they’d never been diagnosed with hearing loss!
I’d been aware that my hearing was a bit ‘iffy’. When watching TV with others, they’d complain the volume was too loud, so I’d turn it down but not be able to pay attention. In conversation, I was constantly asking people to repeat what they were saying, and I noticed I’d started watching mouths instead of making eye contact.
A sinus infection led to me having my ears cleaned but I didn’t notice the kind of improvement in my hearing that I’d experienced other times. Ultimately, I had my hearing tested and Andrew diagnosed me with mild hearing loss. He explained that I’d need hearing aids and the thought was initially quite a shock. I felt a bit broken-down and sad that I would now have to depend on devices for the rest of my life. For me, it took a little while to come to terms with it, whilst others have experienced euphoria at finally understanding the reason for their hearing-related problems. I guess, when we reach a certain age, our mortality starts to come into full focus and the invincibility we once felt begins to evaporate, bit by bit. BUT!
When Andrew showed me the devices and explained their functionality, I began to get excited. I remembered back to the day when, at age 21, I was told I’d need to wear glasses and was presented with a kaleidoscope of different styles, shapes and colours. Hearing aids aren’t what you’d call a fashion accessory, but boy do they improve your world!
And let me tell you about the functionality. Mine are Bluetooth-enabled so they connect with my smartphone. That means I can listen to music via Spotify, talk on the phone and receive notifications, all hands-free, even if my phone is on the other side of the room! They’re rechargeable so I simply pop them in the charger every night before I get into bed, and there’s no need to keep buying and fiddling with batteries.
As for the appearance of my hearing aids, well to be honest, no one has ever mentioned them unprompted, not once! I often wear my hair up in a bun so they should realistically be visible. Even when I mention them, people are amazed and say they had no idea I had them on.
Gone are the days of the big, ugly hearing aids that seemed almost like a sign flashing: “I’m hard of hearing! I’m hard of hearing! I’m hard of hearing!” Besides, hearing aids are designed to make you not hard of hearing so they’re a bit of false advertising. When I show people my beautiful devices and tell them about the smart functionality, they’re often amazed and dare I say, maybe even a bit envious? I like to echo the words of YouTuber Mat Hench, who says: “My hearing aids are cooler than your AirPods!”
Of course, no one wants to find themselves with hearing loss but if it does happen, be comforted in the fact that help is available and it’s not the big, dramatic disaster it might first appear to be. Just as you’ll pop your glasses on your face to enjoy clearer vision, you simply slip your hearing aids into your ears and enjoy clarity, less listening effort and the wonder of sound!
As YouTuber Mat also says: “You have bad eyes; you get glasses. You have bad ears; you get hearing aids.” It really is that simple. Have your hearing tested, see an independent expert, take the recommended steps and get on with life.
#hearingaid#hearingaid #tinnitus#tinnitus #hearingloss#hearingloss #WixBlog#WixBlog #glasses #audiologist #brisbane #melbourne #dementia
I was doing a little research online for my new website and was surprised to find that one of the most common search terms was: ‘what is sensorineural hearing loss’. This form of hearing loss is by far and away the most common; in fact, I can’t think of a single patient of mine that does not have sensorineural hearing loss at least to some degree, so I figured I’d write a post on it. Part of this material is taken from my book, Catching the Mind Robber. If you’d like a copy you can order via the link below.
I’ve decided to focus more on patient education via online channels, and one channel I’m starting to focus more on is Facebook. There you can find regular, informative content about hearing and brain health that I hope you’ll find worthwhile. What I like about Facebook is that I don’t need to bombard your email inbox every time there’s a useful piece of content to share! You can join simply via the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/Neuaudio/
Sensorineural hearing loss happens most often from damage to the receptor cells in the inner ear. We call them ‘hair cells’ however, I prefer the term ‘receptor cells’ as that’s essentially what they do. They convert movement and energy generated by sound waves into electrical impulses which, put simply, are the ‘language’ of the brain. Other causes of sensorineural hearing loss include damage to the auditory nerve or the brain; these are exceptionally rare, so we’ll focus here on the inner ear. This damage to the inner ear most commonly happens as you get older, but it also can happen because of noise exposure, chemotherapy, radiation, trauma and your genes.
What we’re primarily interested in when we consider sensorineural hearing loss of the inner ear is acquired age-related hearing lossand noise-related hearing loss. Eighty percent of hearing loss occurs in older adults, and a noise-induced component occurs in around half of cases. They are the most common, are permanent, and cause similar hearing loss configurations and similar symptoms. When both ageing and noise exposure are present, they combine to cause a relatively rapid decline in hearing sensitivity.
Sensorineural hearing loss is a progressive, degenerative disorder with neurological involvement. Noise exposure is very much like premature ageing of the hearing system; it simply speeds up the process.
The cochlea, the specific structure in the inner ear that we’re interested in is also known as the ‘organ of hearing’ and has a finite number of receptor cells at the nerve endings that lead to the brain. These are referred to as inner and outer hair cells. The cochlea is roughly the size of a pea and contains around 30,000 receptor cells. The receptor or hair cells are the ear’s equivalent to the rods and cones of the eye; they receive stimulation from external sounds and pass along the information as a complex series of electrically charged neurochemical signals to hearing centres of the brain. As we age, we are genetically predetermined to endure the effects of hearing loss in a progressive and degenerative fashion.here
With this progressive degenerative disorder, a gradual, continual loss and damage of receptor cells occurs within the cochlea. Each receptor cell has approximately 30 nerve fibres that are responsible for relaying information to the brain to process sounds, conversation, music and so on. The most delicate receptor cells are the ones that are stimulated by high pitch sounds, like the strings of a guitar or piano. High pitch strings and receptor cells are thin, fine and easiest to break. Consequently, people most commonly lose their hearing first in the high pitches. This often means they miss the higher pitch consonants that generally contain the meaning of words. This also causes havoc for most when trying to converse in background noise. This happens as each cell dies, along with the attached neurons.
Sensorineural hearing loss in the inner ear is permanent and untreatable however the neural structures beyond the inner ear are responsive to treatment, provided it is delivered in time. My colleagues at Harvard and MIT tell me they are at least six years away from finding effective treatments that work specifically on the receptor cells of the inner ear. However, studies have shown that when appropriately fitted hearing aids are worn on a full time basis, we see both functional and structural improvements in the parts of the brain associated with hearing, speech, language and memory. Whilst there is no cure for sensorineural hearing loss, there are most certainly treatments thanks to the dynamic and ‘plastic’ nature of our brains. It is important to note that there is a window of opportunity for treatment to be effective, and effective treatment meansfull time use of hearing devices to achieve maximum stimulation.
I hope you’ve found this post useful, if you’ve not yet received a copy of my book, you can order one by going to www.neuaudio.com.au where you will see a pop-up for an instant ebook. Alternatively, you can go to www.abcbrainhealth.com.au/book to order a hard copy.
Best Regards
Andrew
ps. In case you missed it (!), to join our Facebook community (I really hope you do! 😉 ) please click on the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/Neuaudio/
#hearingaid#hearingaid #tinnitus#tinnitus #hearingloss#hearingloss #WixBlog#WixBlog #audiologist#audiologist #brisbane#brisbane #melbourne#melbourne #dementia#dementia
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· About one third of the population over the age of 65 falls each year, and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age.
· At 80 years, over half of seniors fall annually.
· Falls account for 25% of all hospital admissions and 40% of all nursing home admissions.
· 40% of those admitted do not return to independent living.
· 25% of falls patients pass away within a year.
· In Australia in 2009-2010, the estimated number of hospitalised injury cases due to falls in people aged 65 and older was 83,800.
As alarming as these statistics are, they are an underestimate, as many falls go unreported.
Many of the causes of falls are preventable and doctors routinely advise their older patients to have their vision checked. They also advise having the home evaluated for falls risks and modified accordingly wherever possible. What’s lesser known and mentioned far less frequently is that another major contributor to an elderly person falling is untreated hearing loss.
One of the most significant studies conducted to determine the connection between untreated hearing loss and falls used extensive data from the 2001–2004 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. More than two thousand survey participants aged 40 to 69 had their hearing tested and responded to the question: “Have you fallen during the past year?”
Researchers also tested participants’ balance function in order to determine if this was being affected by their hearing loss. The lead researchers reported that people with mild hearing loss (roughly 25% hearing loss) were nearly three times as likely to have a history of falling. Every additional 10dB (roughly 10%) of hearing loss increased the likelihood of falling by 1.4 times[G11] . Even after other factors (age, sex, race, balance function) were considered, the findings held true.
Possible reasons linking untreated hearing loss and falls
Dr. Frank Lin, an otologist and epidemiologist who conducted this and several other studies on the broader implications of hearing loss, suggests the following possible reasons for the clear links between untreated hearing loss and falls:
· People who can’t hear well may not have clear awareness of their overall environment, increasing the potential to trip and fall.
· Cognitive load increases in those with hearing loss. The brain is overwhelmed with demands on its limited resources to maintain balance and steadiness, while straining to hear and process sound.
· Hearing disorders may also include balance dysfunction.
Now available – hearing aids with built-in falls detection!
To assist in reducing the likelihood of falls, one of the latest hearing devices has built-in falls detection which has a high degree of accuracy and can alert up to three people by SMS when a fall has occurred. When someone responds to the SMS, they are instantly sent Google Maps directions to the person who has fallen, to assist in coming to their aid without delay.
For current owners of hearing devices, reduced risk of falling is yet another reason why hearing devices are best worn during all waking hours. They’ll assist in keeping you sharp, engaged with those around you and firmly on your two feet.
#hearingaid#hearingaid #tinnitus#tinnitus #hearingloss#hearingloss #WixBlog#WixBlog #audiologist#audiologist #brisbane#brisbane #melbourne#melbourne #dementia#dementia
