Why it’s important not to wait to get hearing aids
Many studies have found a link between hearing loss and dementia, which is why it is vital to have your hearing tested – whatever your age
I’d noticed I was turning up the TV more and more and my adult children were constantly telling me I hadn’t heard them, I thought it was time to get a hearing test. I visited audiologist, Louise Overton, at Sound Sense Hearing in Mortlake. She explained to me that as we age the hairs in the cochlea in the inner ear start dying off – and without these hairs, the brain doesn’t receive the electric impulses it needs to hear, leading to decline.
Says Louise: ‘We don’t actually hear every word someone says – our brain fills in the gaps – and the less we hear, the harder it is for our brain to understand what’s going on.’
There have been numerous studies linking hearing loss to dementia. A study at Johns Hopkins University in the US found that mild hearing loss doubled the risk of dementia while moderate loss tripled it; and a 2017 Lancet Commission study on dementia identified hearing impairment as the most significant modifiable risk factor for dementia.
‘That is why it’s so important to get hearing tests,’ says Louise. ‘We regularly go to the dentist and to the opticians to get our eyes tested, so why not hearing, too?’ For many there is still a slight stigma to wearing hearing aids, but modern ones can be very discreet, whether you use the NHS or go privately to places like Sound Sense Hearing.
So why would you go privately rather than get the NHS aids? NHS are obviously free, but there can be months of waiting times to get an initial appointment and then a wait for a fitting. ‘With going privately,’ says Louise, ‘you are paying for a better choice of aids, of course, but also for the aftercare. I will see you weekly for six to eight weeks after your fitting so we can evaluate how they are working for you. I can even loan you aids before you buy to see how you feel with them.’ That aftercare can make a real difference. A University of Manchester study found that 20% of people who receive NHS aids don’t use them at all and a further 30% only wear them sometimes.
During my appointment, I sat in a small, sound-proofed cubicle while Louise tested each ear at different frequencies, pressing a button every time a sound stopped. It turns out I do have some hearing loss – particularly in my right ear – but the good news is that while I will need hearing aids at some point, it’s not quite yet. Having listened to Louise’s advice and done some research myself, I’m not worried about wearing them when the time comes – if the choice is between hearing aids or mental decline, I know which I’d prefer.
Pippa Duncan
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Find out more about Sound Sense Hearing: soundsensehearing.co.uk