Your ears and your brain work together as a system. Most people perceive hearing loss as an inconsequential part of aging. Recent research has identified risk factors making you more susceptible to having hearing loss AND research has found direct links between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline, dementia, and history of falling.
Using data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA), research from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institute on Aging gives urgency to treating hearing loss rather than ignoring it.
“Seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing.”
READ MORE: Hearing Loss and Dementia Linked in Study
“Although the brain becomes smaller with age, the shrinkage seems to be fast-tracked in older adults with hearing loss.”
READ MORE: Hearing Loss Linked to Accelerated Brain Tissue Loss
If you’re 50 or older, you should get a baseline hearing test, and then continue to follow up with routine exams to monitor any changes in your hearing.
It’s also important for farmers, hunters, construction and industrial workers to obtain routine hearing tests due to prolonged exposure to noise.