Hearing Loss Can Limit Mobility
Many seniors living with hearing loss experience the myriad effects in various ways. In addition to possible communication issues with friends and family and challenges at work, a study shows that seniors are more than twice as likely to limit their movement to nearby areas, potentially decreasing quality of life.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), age is the strongest predictor of hearing loss among adults aged 20-69, with the greatest amount of hearing loss in the 60 to 69 age group. Hearing loss is often a normal part of aging. Researchers from Finland’s University of Jyväskylä and the University of Tampere found that movement of older people with hearing loss is often negatively affected.
Research Results
One of the Finnish studies, both of which were published in Journal of Gerontology (2016) and BMC Geriatrics (2015) and are a part of the international project “Hearing, Remembering and Living Well,” was conducted with 848 men and women ranging in age from 75-90. It found that participants who had hearing difficulties in everyday situations moved less within their local area than their counterparts with good hearing. The study monitored the participants for two years and showed that those with hearing loss were more than twice as likely as others to restrain their movement only to areas nearby.
“In our recent studies, we’ve observed that older people with hearing problems have more limited life space, and that these problems lower their quality of life,” says Doctoral Student Hannele Polku.
Polku continues and states that audiometric measurements are not solely the measure of how someone might experience hearing problems. Someone with a very active social life, in and/or outside of work, may be greatly affected by even minor hearing loss. Conversely, a person who prefers living and working alone may not experience the same level of inconvenience with the same degree of hearing function.
How Hearing Aids Can Help
Hearing aid users report that their quality of life has improved and that hearing aids, or other hearing solutions like cochlear implants, have had a positive effect on their overall health. They report experiencing less physical and mental exhaustion, better sleep, better memory, and less depression than non-users.
We may think that the brain does not have an important role in our hearing ability, but it is important for hearing, comprehension, and speech. The inner ear has hair cells that are responsible for converting the noise gathered by the outer ear into electrical signals, which travel along an auditory nerve to the brain. Every one of the hair cells is responsible for converting a pitch or frequency. They are also irreparable if they become damaged or die, so the brain must work harder to process information it is receiving due to the loss of that function. Hearing aids, like the Starkey Livio 2400, can prevent the mental fatigue that comes with untreated hearing loss.
On the other hand, untreated hearing loss can have a profound effect on your quality of life, too. The greater the severity of hearing loss, the greater the loss in quality of life you are likely to experience. A report by Professor Emerita Bridget Shield, Brunel University in London with the assistance of Professor Mark Atherton, Brunel University, London, shows the correlation between the two and also demonstrates that hearing loss has more of an impact on quality of life than many other chronic conditions, such as blindness and other vision impairments, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.
There are many negative physical, mental, and social implications that can accompany untreated hearing loss. It can lead to social isolation and loneliness, which can in turn lead to depression. It can have various effects on family and personal relationships: strained conversations, impatience and frustration with repetition, eventual withdrawal. Untreated hearing loss can also influence your physical health and well-being, reduce physical activity and lead to reduced mobility. These indicators all suggest that people with untreated hearing loss are more likely to have other chronic medical conditions than people with normal hearing.
Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss
With so many complications that can surround hearing loss, it is always best to maintain appointments with your hearing health care professional. Being in regular communication with your audiologist or a board-certified hearing instrument specialist can help you feel like a support network is always available. As you work to improve your hearing health, you can also work to regain your physical mobility and thereby expand your social and professional life.
