Allied Health and GP’s Health Notice

Myths and misconceptions regarding hearing aids

MYTH: MY HEARING LOSS IS NORMAL FOR MY AGE.
FACT: Isn’t this a strange way to look at things? It happens to be “normal” for overweight people to have high blood pressure, but this does not make high blood pressure normal!
Research suggests that more than half the people with reduced hearing are under the age of 65. More and more children are being identified with hearing loss thanks to the mandatory newborn hearing screening program. Teens and young adults who blare music in the cars could be causing irreversible hearing loss that could be helped with hearing aids. Baby boomers are hitting their prime and hearing loss is occurring sooner than in the past. Hearing aids are no longer a sign of old age. It can affect people of all ages.

MYTH: MY HEARING LOSS IS NOT BAD ENOUGH FOR HEARING AIDS.
FACT: Everyone’s hearing loss and listening needs are different. Hearing loss often develops slowly and subtly. A good rule of thumb is that if other people around you are complaining you can’t hear, you need to have your hearing tested. By working with an audiologist, you can determine how much a hearing aid will improve your hearing.

MYTH: I HAVE ONE EAR THAT’S DOWN A LITTLE, BUT THE OTHER ONE’S OKAY SO I DON’T NEED ANY HEARING AIDS AT ALL.
FACT: Everything is relative. Nearly all patients who believe that they have one “good” ear actually have two “bad” ears. When one ear is slightly better than the other, we learn to favor that ear for the telephone, group conversations, and so forth. It can give the illusion that “the better ear” is normal when it isn’t. Most types of hearing loss affect both ears fairly equally, and about 90% of patients are in need of hearing aids for both ears.

MYTH: I ONLY HAVE TROUBLE HEARING CERTAIN SOUNDS SO I DON’T NEED HEARING AIDS.
FACT: If you are missing certain sounds you have hearing loss and with today’s digital hearing aids hearing care professionals are able to precisely program the hearing aids to only provide amplification at the pitches you need allowing you to use the hearing you have left but get a boost where you need it the most. Inability to hear some sounds like the sounds sh, s, th, t, etc. significantly impact your understanding of the overall word causing the dreaded, “Huh?” “What?” and embarrassingly inappropriate responses to questions. “I only have trouble hearing women’s and kid’s voices.” Hmm, that accounts for more than half the total population. So, you’re saying you can’t hear half of the people talking to you?

MYTH: MY FRIEND HAS TWO HEARING AIDS AND HATES THEM AND SAID I SHOULD NEVER EVEN TRY THEM.
FACT: There are many factors that come into play when fitting hearing aids and therefore everyone’s experience is different. Every person has a different hearing loss, different size ear canals, different hearing aid technology, etc. Hearing aid success depends quite a bit on the hearing aid itself. Perhaps your friend chose a basic hearing aid that is not technologically advanced enough to suit their needs. Perhaps they have not followed up with their dispenser since the fitting and the hearing aids simply need adjustments. Please do not let another’s experience affect your actions regarding your hearing health.

MYTH: YOU CAN SAVE TIME AND MONEY BY BUYING HEARING AIDS ONLINE OR BY MAIL ORDER.
FACT: By working with an audiologist, you are purchasing professional care and services to ensure that the correct hearing aid is selected and that proper programming of the hearing aid is completed

Other professional care includes:

  • Hearing aid evaluation
  • Verification of fit of hearing aid
  • Instruction in how to work and look after the instrument
  • Repair services
  • Rehabilitation services

Please share this information with patients who may benefit from a hearing assessment and hearing aids.

This information as adapted from the following websites:
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/hearing-aid-myths-and-facts
http://www.baltimoreent.com/audiology/myths-misconceptions

Why hearing loss is not innocuous

Professor McAlpine, from the University College London Ear Institute, describes the experience of losing your hearing as being similar to visiting a foreign country where you speak only a little of the language.

You struggle to understand the conversations around you, and just trying to get by leaves you exhausted. This is exactly what happens to people who suffer hearing loss. As a result, they may start to withdraw from many of the activities they used to enjoy, because certain scenarios might tire them out, or might be embarrassing or difficult.

Recent studies by Dr Frank Lin and his team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, suggest that this could have a worrying knock-on effect as evidence is beginning to emerge that hearing loss contributes to accelerated declines in the cognitive and physical functioning of older adults.

Much of Dr Lin’s research over the last few years has focused on investigating whether hearing loss is independently associated with cognition and dementia. He has collaborated with other aging researchers and has analyzed observational epidemiologic data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (HealthABC), and the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES). Through these studies, he has shown that hearing loss is independently associated with poorer cognitive functioning on non-verbal tests of memory and executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, the risk of developing dementia, and accelerated rates of brain atrophy.

Hearing loss and dementia are definitely linked. The nature of the connection between the two needs to be studied further. Three possible links are suggested by Dr. Lin.

1. Social isolation.

Studies show that being sociable and taking part in activities protects against dementia, possibly because it relieves stress, which is known to be harmful to the brain. So taking yourself out of daily interactions (because your hearing problems make them impossible) may increase the risk of memory loss and cognitive problems.

2. Brain overload.

As hearing loss occurs, more of the brain’s resources are dedicated to hearing and understanding, at the expense of other brain functions. According to Dr Lin, “If you’re constantly expending more resources to help with hearing that probably comes at the expense of systems such as thinking and memory and cognition.”

3. Underlying cause.

It may be that hearing loss and dementia share a common cause. What this common cause might be is still unclear and needs further study. Perhaps as we learn more, the connection will become clear.

While many patients regard hearing loss as a natural and harmless consequence of aging, Dr Lin’s research suggests that compared with normal hearing, people with hearing loss are more likely to have dementia. The Baltimore Longitudinal study of Aging found that the more severe the hearing loss, the greater the risk of dementia.

Whatever the link between hearing loss and dementia, untreated hearing loss can have serious consequences.

Sources:

Untreated Hearing Loss Linked to Depression, Social Isolation in Seniors, American
Academy of Audiology website: http://www.audiology.org/resources/documentlibrary/Pages/UntreatedHearingLoss.aspx.
Originally published in Audiology Today, Vol. 11:4, 1999.

How your hearing aid could stop you getting dementia. Interview with Professor David McAlpine
(Director of the University College London Ear Institute).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2291753/Hearing-loss-How-hearing-aid-stop-getting-dementia.html

Dementia and hearing loss: methinks hearing aids are not enough. Blog by Sandra Vandenhoff
(Hearing Education and Rehabilitation for Adults).
http://www.heara.ca/about

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