Hearing deterioration is the driver of dementia. Don’t regard “inability to hear” as normal aging!

Hearing deterioration is the driver of dementia. Don’t regard “inability to hear” as normal aging! Chen Yuanyi, a family medicine physician, explained on the Facebook fan page "Family Medicine Physician x2. Health and daily life are interesting", whether the elders in the family have the following conditions: the volume of watching TV becomes louder, or do you always have to repeat several times when talking to them? This is not just a simple "aging", but may also cause a domino effect that affects the overall health of the elders!

The “domino effect” and health crisis caused by hearing loss

Chen Yuanyi said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed "hearing" as one of the six key indicators for health assessment of the elderly. According to information from the Taiwan Otology Association and the National Health Administration, hearing loss that is not properly treated will cause the elders to spend more energy on communication, thereby reducing social interaction. This will not only accelerate cognitive decline in the brain, but also be accompanied by alarming health risks.

Chen Yuanyi cited the long-term tracking data of hearing-impaired persons aged 45-64 years old from the National Health Insurance Database, which shows that hearing loss will bring the following serious impacts:

●Dementia risk: 40% higher.

●The probability of falling: increased by nearly 3 times.

●Comorbid depression: The risk is 3.22 times higher.

This data reminds us that whether we are middle-aged or elderly, we should pay attention to hearing health early and nip problems in the bud.

Why don’t elders like to wear hearing aids?

Many younger generations think that their elders are reluctant to wear hearing aids because they "think they are too expensive", but research and surveys have found that in fact, "uncomfortable wearing" and "feeling that they have no social needs" are the main reasons! Chen Yuanyi recommends "three major actions" to protect the quality of life of the elderly:

1. Early screening: It is strongly recommended to have regular hearing screening starting from the age of 50.

2. Professional intervention: Seek help from doctors and audiologists, choose appropriate assistive devices through shared decision-making between doctors and patients, and match them with "hearing rehabilitation" instead of just buying them casually.

3. Comprehensive assessment: Pay more attention to whether the elder has other signs of "frailty" such as sudden weight loss, inability to lift, etc. (in line with the six indicators of being able to eat, walk, see, hear, remember, and feel good).

Hearing health is an important line of defense in preventing dementia and disability! Pay more attention to the hearing status of your elders in the family, and don’t let the “inability to hear” affect their healthy later life.