Denton County Living Well Magazine July/August 2016 | Page 39

Untreated Hearing Loss in the Adult Population
So you have been told that you have
a hearing loss. Now what do you do?
Are hearing aids the only option? Are
they the best option? Do you have to do
anything? Will it get worse? These are
the types of things all patients consider
when being diagnosed with hearing loss.
Often times, they are overwhelmed with
what might be done, and they decide
to do nothing at all. But is that a good
idea? What are the effects of not doing
anything at all? New research is coming
out about the negative side effects of
hearing loss and I would like to share
with you what they are finding.

Hearing Loss has Negative
Social Implications
When people are unable to hear conversations around them, it negatively
impacts the way they socialize and
communicate with others. Thus, people
who have hearing loss are more likely to
abstain from social situations like going
out to eat, attending get-togethers, and
spending time with family. In people with
untreated hearing loss we see a higher
occurrence of sadness, depression,
worry, anxiety, and paranoia. Unfortunately, when people begin to live with
hearing loss, they begin to accept the
fact that they can no longer communicate effectively and begin isolating
themselves from those they love.

Hearing Loss Has Negative
Medical Implications
In addition to the social impact, there is
also a medical correlation to untreated
hearing loss. First, there is the concern
for auditory deprivation (“use it or lose
it”) when it comes to your brain being
able to filter and process normal conversational speech. Sometimes, people wait
way too long with a hearing loss before
they seek treatment. During that valuable time, the brain is losing its ability to
process these sounds. When the person

is finally able to use hearing aids, the
rehabilitation process takes quite a bit
longer as the brain is having to “relearn”
how to listen. Secondly, new studies are
showing that people who have untreated
hearing loss have a higher likelihood
of dementia. This is a big significant
research find as we are always looking
for answers to the growing issue that is
memory loss. Perhaps, the social implications and hesitation to keep active as
their hearing worsens, leads to mental
decline progressing into dementia. Just
because hearing loss is not life-threatening, does not mean that there is not a
serious medical implication.

What are Options for Treating
Hearing Loss?
For most people, hearing loss is permanent and
not going to improve. The best solution for treating hearing loss is using the assistance of hearing
aids. Hearing aids do two main things – 1. Amplify sounds that you cannot hear and 2. Pull useful
speech out of background noise. Hearing aids
are able to automatically adapt to your listening
environment to help you hear speech clearly.
With the use of hearing aids, people are able to
regain their ability to have normal conservations
and interact with others even in difficult listening
situations. Hearing aids can improve the quality of
life of you or someone you know who is struggling with hearing loss.

108dB
CAPTURES

MORE SOUNDS
THAN OTHER HEARING AIDS

8.4dB
BEST
WIND NOISE REDUCTION
IN THE INDUSTRY

100%

Dr. Allison Liberio
Dr. Allison Liberio is the premier audiologist and
owner of Family Hearing Practice. With more than
5 years of experience, she is well know in the area
for the support she offers her patients and the quality
care that physicians trust.

USERS

MORE SATISFIED
WITH THEIR HEARING AIDS

Scheudle your
appointment to
find out how
you can get the
Widex UNIQUE™!

2913 Corporate Circle #300
Flower Mound, Tx 75028

817-997-4975
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2016

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