AARP Hearing Center
Don't be deceived by their tiny appearance: These latest hearing devices have huge benefits when it comes to improving your health and well-being. Consider these seven wonderful things a hearing aid can do.
Prevent falls
Research from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging found that even mild hearing loss can triple your risk of taking a tumble, with the risk increasing by 140 percent for every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss.
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People who can't hear well are simply less aware of what's going on around them, which makes them more likely to collide with a careless passerby or get tripped up by a rambunctious family pet. Also, balance requires brain power. Problem is, people with hearing loss use more of that gray matter to hear, which means that there are fewer mental resources left to help stay upright.
Improve your mood
Hearing disorders are associated with depression. A survey by the National Council on Aging of 2,300 hearing-impaired adults, age 50 and older, found that those with untreated hearing loss are more likely to battle depression and anxiety than those who use hearing aids. Among those with severe hearing loss, 30 percent of nonusers of hearing aids fessed up to sad feelings, compared to 22 percent of hearing aid users.
One possible reason: People who are hearing impaired are a lot less likely to participate in social activities. “We're community animals,” says Jackie Clark, a clinical audiologist and clinical professor of audiology at University of Texas at Dallas. “Isolation leads to loneliness — which leads to depression.”