September is World Alzheimer’s Month
Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. By 2025, 1 million people will be living with dementia in the UK, and many millions more carers, partners, families and friends are affected (Alzheimer’s society 2022).
Memory problems are a common early sign of dementia, but not for everyone, dementia can also affect the way people think, speak, perceive things, feel and behave.
Common symptoms of dementia include:
- confusion and needing help with daily tasks – such as shopping or paying bills
- problems with language and understanding – including often being unable to find the right word, or having trouble following a conversation.
- changes in behaviour – such as becoming unusually anxious or irritable.
Hearing loss and Dementia
Research has recently drawn a link between untreated hearing loss and dementia (Livingston et al., 2020). If you have a hearing loss (not corrected with hearing aids) you have a greater chance of developing dementia. This means the scientists don’t know if one causes the other, and it does not mean that if you have a hearing loss you will definitely develop dementia but the fact that a link has been drawn between the two certainly suggests more research needs to be done in this area.
If a hearing loss is untreated, the brain spends a lot of mental resources trying to hear and understand what is going on. This can mean less mental energy is left to make connections within the brain to retain information as memories. People living with a hearing loss that is not corrected with hearing aids, often withdraw from social situations. They connect with people less and are less socially engaged. This reduction in stimulation has negative effects on your brain as well as your mental health.
Can hearing aids reduce the risk of developing dementia?
The answer is unclear at the moment, but findings have been encouraging. Johns Hopkins is currently doing a large scale study to look into the effects of hearing aid use on cognitive decline and their results are expected early 2023.
Can wearing hearing aids stop or slow the progression of decline?
When dementia is present, it is important that any hearing loss is treated appropriately with well fitted hearing aids. This will provide stimulation to the brain again to try and reactivate those areas. Hearing aids can re-stimulate parts of the brain that have been neglected and they can lead to an increase in social interaction.
What next?
If you are concerned about your hearing, the next step would be to get in touch with us and organise a hearing assessment. If you are concerned about cognitive decline or dementia please get in touch with your GP or a charitable organisation such as alzheimers.org.uk.
Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, Ames D, et al. (2020) Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet 396:413–446.
Alzheimer’s Society (2022) Five things you should know about dementia. Available at: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/five-things-you-should-know-about-dementia accessed 13/09/2022.