Benefits of
Treating Hearing Loss
Educating our patients on the many wonderful benefits of treating hearing loss – and then seeing these benefits come to fruition in our patients are two of the main reasons we love what we do. Our patients and their beautiful stories about their hearing health journeys have time and time again uplifted and inspired us. Of course, hearing aids will help you hear better, and better understand your world. What makes treating hearing health so unique, however, is its profound ability to positively impact so many other areas of your life as well. When we work together to craft a treatment plan for your hearing loss, be prepared to experience some of these other incredibly powerful benefits.
Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Relationships
We’ve heard the term “communication is key” touted over and over again throughout our lives – so much so that we rarely stop to ponder how incredibly true this is. When we think back on the little moments that have had the biggest impact on our lives, they typically include intimate communication of some kind or another. With untreated hearing loss, it is easy to fall into the habit of avoiding social situations with our family or pillow talk with our loved one – because these interactions become difficult and frustrating. It is also often true that when we don’t treat our hearing loss, the ones we love most can feel as though we are not listening or interested in what they are saying.
When we treat our hearing loss, however, all of this begins to change. When we have the ability to actively participate in the conversations around us, we are more likely to engage in them. A recent study out of Harvard that has followed hundreds of people for over 70 years has concluded the quality of a person’s connections to family and friends and social relationships was the most important factor for living a happier and healthier life.
With hearing aids, you’ll no longer miss life’s most important moments such as your wife’s whispered “I love you” during the musical or your grandchildren giggling in their fort. You’ll be able to not only hear – but also connect.
Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Cognitive Health
Recently, there has been a growing body of research that draws attention to the correlation between hearing loss and an increased risk for developing dementia such as Alzheimer’s. Recent studies out of John Hopkins University have found that people with mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss are two, three, and five times more likely to develop the disease than their peers with no hearing impairment. A few years later, the same researchers conducted a follow-up study to find that people with hearing loss were not only at a higher risk, but their rate of cognitive decline was actually 30-40% faster than those without hearing loss.
Luckily, hearing aids can help to slow the development of dementia as well. A recently published study from researchers out of the University of Manchester that followed thousands of people for over 18 years had some exciting findings. During this study, it was found that the rate of cognitive decline occurred at a much slower rate for those who used hearing aids than for those who did not. Even more, the slower rate also began just at the participant reported initiating their hearing aid use.
Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Happiness and Quality of Life
With hearing aids, you begin to better hear the sounds around you. Sounds such as speech that connect you to others, sounds such as hazards that keep you safe, and subtle little sounds like the pitter patter of your pets’ paws that simply make you smile. Its easy to imagine how these improvements will make us feel happier, however, the claims are also backed by scientific evidence. Multiple studies have found that people who treat their hearing loss with hearing aids are at a lower risk of emotional distress, social anxiety and depression.
Hearing aids also help at work. A recent study by the Better Hearing Institute has estimated that untreated hearing loss has the potential to reduce annual earnings by up to $30,000 per year. When hearing loss is treated, however, this risk is reduced by up to 90%. Other studies have found that colleagues view their coworkers who have treated their hearing loss as more competent and valuable than those who have not. While we know money cannot buy happiness, we also know that feeling rewarded for the work you do and being thought of highly by your co-workers can help.
