Hearing Loss and Dementia: What You Need To Know To Win the Battle

Hearing your doctor tell you that you or a loved one has dementia is a lot like being diagnosed with cancer. It’s scary... and totally vague. Plus, it can kinda make you lose your mind!

So, let’s focus on what you actually have control over. Whether you’ve already been diagnosed with hearing loss, dementia (or both), or maybe you’re looking for ways to prevent these issues, there are many strategic moves you can make to improve and maintain your hearing and cognitive health.

Together we can wage war on hearing loss and dementia and come out victorious. And since understanding your enemies is the surest way to defeat them, let’s first go on a fact-finding mission.

Dementia - A Deceptive Opponent

What makes dementia so vague and deceptive? Simply put, dementia is merely a general term used to describe symptoms of cognitive decline whether with your memory, communication, and or thinking. More befuddling is the reality that most symptoms of dementia can be due to any number of diseases and brain disorders often making a clear diagnosis challenging.

While COVID-19 has recently stolen the spotlight, and rightfully so, we’re facing another global pandemic of sorts among the aging population. The Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) figures as of 2017, there are approximately 50 million people suffering from dementia. But their projections are indicating this number will nearly double every 20 years reaching 75 million in 2030 and climbing to 131.5 million by 2050. This means that every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia.[1]

Despite the astonishing global impact and prevalence of dementia, we still don’t know enough. And no matter how many tests doctors run, your symptoms of dementia don’t always lead them to the cause of your dementia.

Why? Well, the brain is so incredibly complex. Until the research is able to decode it further, unfortunately, your only diagnosis may simply be ‘dementia’. [2]

This doesn’t mean you’ve lost the battle. No, my friend, it simply means we have to keep digging. So let’s start by looking to the brain for some answers.

The Brain - An Innocent Bystander

Let me try breaking it down for you...

The two ‘basic’ parts of our brain are the cerebrum and the cerebellum. They’re each divided into distinct regions and sub-regions, each with uniquely specific responsibilities like memory, critical thinking, and movement. And yet, they’re completely and complexly dependent on one another for our brain to actually function properly.

The following image brings light to the different key regions of the brain and maps out what each region controls. Hearing loss and dementia will both cause certain regions of the brain to dim or flicker, which makes proper treatment the equivalent of replacing the light bulb.

What Causes Dementia

Dementia is caused when there is damage to your brain cells. And when brain cells are damaged they can’t communicate normally. Like with any other form of miscommunication, it’s bound to affect our thinking, behavior, and even our feelings.[3]

The most well-known symptom of dementia is memory loss - or declining cognitive ability. But of course, the area where the brain cell damage occurred will determine what type of dementia and symptoms you’ll suffer.

Interestingly enough, only 65% of the risk factors for dementia are neurodegenerative, in other words, hereditary or genetic. These include the two leaders of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia. These factors are unfortunately unavoidable and untreatable.

But, as a pollyanna type, I like to see the bright side... and in this case, that means 35% of the factors for dementia are avoidable or if already present they’re treatable! These contributing factors cause what is known as incident dementia and can include the following[4]:

Vitamin Deficiencies
Medication Side Effects
Smoking
Alcoholism
Obesity
Hypertension
Depression
Both Type 1 and 2 diabetes
Thyroid Problems
And my favorite… Hearing Loss!

Hearing Loss - A Worthy Opponent

No, I haven’t lost my marbles… not yet anyway… and if I have, you’d never get me to accept it!

Ok, seriously, all joking aside, this fact gets me excited because I’m an audiologist. So while hearing loss might be a worthy opponent, I’ve got the upper hand.

My secret weapon is in understanding that hearing loss and dementia present with many similar symptoms. And because the symptoms overlap, having both can essentially create double jeopardy for you. Here’s my pollyanna perspective again… it also means if we can improve symptoms caused by your hearing loss we can actually improve your quality of life.

The Cold Hard (of hearing) Facts

Hearing loss affects a large portion of the world’s population and becomes more prevalent as we look to those over the age of 65. It’s another worldwide pandemic. Looking at a few statistics reveals hearing loss takes no prisoners and definitely doesn’t play favorites.

74% of Australian’s over the age of 70 making it the second-most common health condition.[5]
71% of people over the age of 70 in the UK. [6]
And as Americans, we’re fairing slightly better at about 63% [7]
- But to keep it in perspective, 1 out of 3 people over age 65 have some degree of hearing loss and increases to 2 out of 3 for those over 75.[8]

Interestingly enough, the age group science is finding to be at greatest risk of incident dementia due to hearing loss are mid-lifers between the age of 45 and 64.[9] Mind you, hearing loss is only experienced by about 14% of the population in this age group.[10]

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?! I’m trying not to get ahead of myself so keep reading and we’ll find out...

Hearing Loss and Dementia - Formidable Allies

Let’s get right to the nitty-gritty, shall we?

Studies estimate that if you have mild hearing loss, which is only a hearing loss of 20 to 40 decibels, you are twice as likely to develop dementia. But if you have a moderate hearing loss of 41 to 60 decibels, you are five times more likely to develop dementia.[11]

Why? Well, study after study proves that hearing difficulties are directly related to challenges with cognition, and as hearing loss worsens, most likely, so will your cognitive function.

It’s essential to keep in mind that decreased cognitive function does not necessarily mean you have dementia as a result of your hearing loss. But it doesn’t rule it out either, which is why it is so important to have a team of medical providers who will work together and take a holistic approach to assess your health.

So, yeah, I bet you’re thinking the same thing about those mid-lifers, ages 45-64, who are at greatest risk of developing incident dementia due to hearing loss… It’s essential to take action and seek help before symptoms and difficulties have a chance to snowball and diminish your quality of life.

But sadly, statistics show 1 in 3 do not seek help for their hearing problems, and even those who do seek help, studies find they tend to wait 10-15 years after the onset. By that time we have to take a reactive versus proactive approach to regain what they’ve lost.[12]

Double Jeopardy - When The Enemy Has Higher Ground

The symptoms and behaviors of hearing loss and dementia are impressively similar while the causes differ wildly. This makes it extremely difficult to determine where one ends and the other begins in terms of determining the culprit causing your grief.

These symptoms are the face of the enemy.

Fortunately, when it comes to improving your symptoms, it doesn’t matter whether the hearing loss or dementia came first. But, if you do have hearing loss, treatment for that condition can help reign in those symptoms even if not eliminating them altogether.

Ferreting Out the Culprit - Evaluating and Diagnosing Dementia

If you or a loved one suspect you’re showing signs of dementia you need to pay a visit first to your trusted audiologist AND your primary care physician.

Because most cognitive tests used to identify and assess the degree of dementia are given verbally, you need to make sure you don’t have any untreated hearing loss. If you don’t take this step, hearing loss will lower your performance on those tests making any diagnosis a likely misdiagnosis.

So it should come as no surprise we’ve discovered when people with hearing loss use hearing aids their scores on cognitive function almost always improve. This supports a clear relationship between an improved cognitive function and hearing aid use.

Treatments & Outcomes - How We Win the Battle

For those with incident dementia related to hearing loss, we can usually improve and sometimes completely reverse your symptoms. Properly addressing and treating your hearing loss will improve and help to preserve your cognitive function.

If you’re 45 or older, you should really have an annual hearing exam done with a trusted audiologist. Taking this preemptive strike and catching any hearing loss early on actually gives you up to a 9% chance of preventing a future dementia diagnosis.[13]

For those with neurodegenerative dementia, which is not reversible, you can still be helped by treating any degree of hearing loss you might have. Because, as I’ve mentioned, when properly treated, improving your hearing can improve certain symptoms of dementia and likely keep or at least slow them from worsening.

Overcoming Obstacles - It’s Not Just About Picking Your Battles, It’s Picking How You Fight Them

Treating a dementia patient for hearing loss can be a battle of its own. Mind you, a battle best fought with grace, understanding, and patience — NOT by going nuclear!

Again, let me stress how important it is that anyone with suspected dementia receives a complete diagnostic hearing evaluation prior to a cognitive function assessment. And if at all possible they should have any hearing loss addressed and treated, allowing a more accurate assessment while testing cognitive function.

Depending on the degree of dementia, it can sometimes be difficult to get the individual to be receptive to using hearing devices. Even then, it is uncertain whether they will be capable of using a hearing device properly so it’ll be effective and beneficial. In some cases, hearing aids may be used intermittently during direct communication. In this scenario, the speaker is in control, communication is effective, and the hearing aids are not left unattended with the individual.

And while hearing aids fitted properly for the person’s hearing loss is the best line of defense, there are other options available such as the following technologies:

“Pocket talker” type of personal listening system. Essentially, it’s a small amplifier box with a built-in microphone for the person speaking and wired to a headset for the listener. Unfortunately, this is effective only in one-on-one communication where the talker is in control of the device.
Amplified telephones can be helpful, but again this is very limited aid.
Wireless or wired television amplification devices using a headset are great and give them the obvious ability to engage with modern-day electronics.

The Audiology Northwest Difference - Sound the Victory

Having worked with dementia patients successfully, I can assure you it’s possible to integrate a solution in most cases.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that it will likely require some TLC from the audiologist and the caregiver to help them learn to accept and appropriately use and care for hearing aids or other hearing devices.

This is where your experience in working with Audiology Northwest gives you the advantage. My approach is ideal for assisting a dementia patient as I offer the following services:

In-home appointments - it is extremely beneficial to work with the patient in his or her home environment, or as I like to call it… your hearing place.
Weekly (and more often if necessary) follow-up appointments during the adjustment phase to be certain of acceptance and benefit.
Training for staff and family members as well as the patient.

Bottom line - Any Improvement Will Feel Like A Win

Regardless of whether your hearing loss or dementia is responsible for your battle with cognitive function, treatment for hearing loss in the form of hearing aids or other hearing devices that aid in sound amplification is essential for so many reasons.

Consistent improvement in the levels of sound reaching the inner ear helps to keep the hearing nerve and the hearing centers in the brain healthy. It’s the principle of ‘use it or lose it’ as the nervous system without proper stimulation will atrophy similar to muscles that are not being used.

Improved social interactions with caregivers, friends, neighbors, and family members help to counteract depression, anxiety, isolation, loneliness, stress, etc. All of which are symptoms and side-effects related to hearing loss.
Improvement of your cognitive function.
Actual symptoms of dementia may still be evident but significantly reduced when the similar symptoms resulting from your hearing loss are treated.
Improved overall health and quality of life!

Ready to declare war on hearing loss and dementia? I’d love nothing more than to help you fight this battle because I know working together the odds can be in your favor! Click here to contact me and schedule your free hearing consultation. I look forward to declaring victory with you!

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