When most people hear about hearing aids, the first thing that comes to mind is a device that will help you hear better. For virtually everyone, that is the first knee-jerk response, but industry research over the past three years has identified many other benefits of wearing hearing aids, that relate to the primary one of hearing better. Specifically:
- A January 2024 study by Dr. Janet Choi at Keck Medicine on the USC campus identified in a very large longitudinal research study that patients who wore hearing aids to correct their level of hearing had a 24% lower risk of mortality compared to their peer group that chose not to wear hearing devices.
- In 2023, the National Institutes of Health published the ACHIEVE study, which shows that older adults who began using hearing devices slowed down the loss of thinking and memory abilities by 48% over three years. This reduction of cognitive decline clearly should be a wake-up call for seniors to get a hearing test, so they can reduce the impact of normal cognitive decline as they age.
- The 2023 Lancet Healthy Longevity Study also indicated that only 12.7% of hearing aid owners wear their hearing aids full-time. This is particularly significant as many different studies have shown that patient do not get the maximum benefit from their hearing aids if they do not wear them all the time.
- A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association from 2014 reported that hearing impairment in older adults was strongly and independently associated with the likelihood of having dementia. Many later studies have confirmed these findings.
- A study by Livingston in 2020, published in The Lancet, indicated that hearing loss is the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia in mid-life.
- A study by the National Health and Nutrition (NHANES) in 2009-2014 found significantly higher rates of depression in adults with hearing loss.
- A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine from 2020 indicated that less than 20% of primary care physicians include any type of hearing assessment when conducting an annual physical examination.
- A study in American Family Physician provided interesting data that indicated that after 60 the age of, hearing typically declines about 1 dB annually. This gradual decline is one reason why many people do not recognize they are losing their hearing.
- A recent study by the American Diabetes Association indicated that the incidence of hearing loss is twice as high among patients with diabetes as it is among their peers without diabetes.
The studies all point to the same very important message: “EVERY ADULT OVER 55 SHOULD GET A HEARING TEST EVERY YEAR”.
Why You Shouldn’t Wait
While many people just don’t want to take the time to get a hearing test, or just believe they are hearing fine, all the studies summarized above are a very loud and clear message that if you do not get a hearing test each year, you are playing Russian Roulette with your life.
Free Online Hearing Screening Option
For those very stubborn people who do not want to go to an audiologist’s office to get a test, it is now possible to give yourself a “screening” test in only 15 minutes in the comfort of your home.
The website https://www.fifthavenuehearing.com/ provides patients with an online hearing screening test that anybody can complete for free in less than 20 minutes.
Take Action Today
Do yourself a favor this year and make the time to get a hearing test. It just might be the most important call you make this year.
Fifth Avenue Hearing provides hearing tests in New York. For appointments, you may contact us at 203-936-7907.
