Oticon Opn - A New Way INDY449 RJD Magazine | Page 4

Keep your brain fit
with a hearing test
Good hearing plays an important
role in maintaining quality of life,
including healthy cognitive function.
Adults with hearing loss who actively use
hearing aids can reduce the risk of cognitive
decline associated with hearing loss.
Keep your brain fit with a hearing test
Crossword puzzles, brain exercises and memory
games are just some of the popular ways people
try to improve their brain fitness. For people who
want to make smart choices when it comes to brain
health, maintaining hearing health is a great place
to start. The simple act of scheduling a hearing
health check-up may do more for your brain than
the highest score on any “brain fitness” app!
Hearing with Your Brain
The reason is simple. Good hearing plays an
important role in maintaining quality of life,
including healthy cognitive function. That’s
because hearing starts with the brain. It’s your
brain that processes and interprets the sounds
your ears detect. Your ears and your brain work
together, with your brain doing the heavy lifting.
For example, your brain uses the information
from both ears to orient you by figuring out which
direction sound is coming from. It is in your brain that
sound waves become sounds that you recognise.
And your brain is what helps you focus in on a
conversation and separate out unwanted noise.
When hearing is compromised, such as with hearing
loss, the sound signals that your brain is used to
processing are different and it takes more effort
to fill in the blanks. You work harder trying to make
it through the many listening experiences that fill
a typical day. The extra work of keeping up with
conversations in social settings or following the
discussion in a business meeting can leave you tired
and frustrated. You may begin to withdraw from
social situations, even with family and friends.
Social Isolation and Cognitive Decline
Numerous studies have shown that untreated
hearing loss can lead to isolation, depression,
anxiety and frustration. Untreated hearing
loss can also negatively impact speech
understanding and comprehension and other
cognitive activities, such as memory. A number
of studies have shown correlations between
untreated hearing loss in older adults and
a greater risk of cognitive decline.*
They are more likely to develop problems
thinking and remembering than older adults
whose hearing is normal. Social isolation and
the resulting depression and health issues
have long been recognized as increased risk
factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
A Wake-Up Call
Having trouble hearing but reluctant to try hearing aids? New research findings
about hearing loss and healthy brain aging may provide just the incentive you need.
A study lead by Professor Hélène Amieva, a leading researcher in the Neuropsychology
and Epidemiology of Aging at the University of Bordeaux, France found that
adults with hearing loss who actively use hearing aids can reduce the risk of
cognitive decline associated with hearing loss. A person with hearing loss using
hearing aids has the same risk of mental decline as a person with normal
hearing. Researchers suspect that is because with better hearing, you are able
to once again participate in social activities – and that stimulates your brain and
helps to lower your risk of cognitive decline associated with hearing loss.*
Brain First Technology
Is a yearly hearing evaluation part of your family’s good health checklist? If you haven’t
had your hearing checked, you’re missing an important component of everyday health
care. The upsides of r