sfw | HEALTH
Hearing Loss and Dementia Mind Games The connections between hearing loss and dementia By Virginia Olson
H
earing loss is not limited to asking someone to turn up the TV or asking “Can you repeat that?” It has also been linked to an increased risk of dementia. The latest aging research conducted by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine not only shows that the two are connected, research is also leading scientists to believe that untreated hearing loss, with its social isolation and communication difficulties, may actually be a factor that leads to dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for loss of memory and other cognitive abilities. Currently, around 6.2 million Americans over age 65 are living with Alzheimer’s; the most common form of dementia. Like dementia, hearing loss also affects millions of Americans. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 25% of adults between 65 and 74, and 50% of adults 75 years and older have hearing loss. In another 2020 study by the Lancet Commission, research revealed that untreated hearing loss was the number one modifiable risk factor in delaying or preventing dementia cases. This means that hearing loss may be responsible for 800,000 of the nearly 10 million new cases of dementia diagnosed each year. “The Lancet article published in 2020 has shed light on the importance of early detection and treatment of hearing loss. By treating hearing loss with hearing aids, you are able to better connect with others,
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SiouxFallsWoman.net | June/July 2022
