Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

Definitions

Social
Isolation

A state in which the individual lacks a sense of belonging socially, lacks engagement with others, has a minimal number of social contacts, and they are deficient in fulfilling and quality relationships.

Dementia

A condition characterized by progressive or persistent loss of intellectual functioning, especially with impairment of memory and abstract thinking, and often with personality change, resulting from organic disease of the brain.

Alzheimer's Disease

A progressive mental deterioration that typically occurs in middle age or later in life, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility.

Cognitive
Decline

When a person’s thinking skills, like memory, problem-solving, and decision-making, start to get worse over time. The brain isn't working as well as it used to, making it harder to remember things, concentrate, or learn new information.

When people have trouble hearing, it can affect their ability to think and remember things. It makes your brain work harder to understand what’s being said and process sounds. It can lead to shrinkage in parts of the brain related to hearing, and it can disrupt how different parts of the brain communicate with each other.

Extra Brain Work: When people have trouble hearing, their brains have to work harder to understand sounds and speech. This extra effort can make it harder to focus on other thinking tasks.
Changes in the Brain: Hearing loss can lead to changes in the brain, especially in areas that deal with hearing and thinking. These changes might make it harder to think clearly or remember things. Over time, untreated hearing loss can cause your brain to shrink. This can lead to social isolation and higher risk for depression and anxiety.
Talking and Socializing: Hearing loss can make it difficult to talk to others and join in social activities. When people aren’t talking and socializing as much, their thinking skills can get worse over time.
Common Health Issues: Hearing loss and problems with thinking (like memory loss) can sometimes be caused by the same health issues, such as heart disease or diabetes. These health problems can affect both hearing and the brain.
Faster Decline: People who don’t treat their hearing loss might experience faster memory and thinking problems, and have a higher risk of developing serious conditions like dementia.
Hearing Aids Help: Using hearing aids can improve hearing and help the brain by reducing the extra work it has to do. This can make it easier to talk to others and help keep thinking skills sharp.