Hearing loss may create an invisible barrier to building a relationship with family and friends.
The Link Between Hearing and Dementia
According to a recent Johns Hopkins study that tracked more than 600 adults for 12 years, it was evident that even a mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk. Moderate hearing loss tripled the risk of developing dementia and a person with a severe hearing loss was five times more likely to develop dementia. They found via brain scans that hearing loss may contribute to a faster rate of atrophy in the brain. If a person has a hearing loss, they tend to reduce the number of interactions with others. They may not want to be around groups of people or engage in conversations as much. These factors contribute to escalating dementia.
Common symptoms of dementia and hearing loss are confusion during a conversation, difficulty completing everyday tasks, difficulty communicating when stressed or in a noisy environment. If an individual struggles to understand what is being said, they are less likely to store new information in their brain. They spend so much energy and focus on getting the information that there is no time to store the comment or information before the conversation progresses. Most conversations are fast and require quick moment-to-moment storage of information. So, if you are trying to figure out what the third word was in the first sentence and the other person continues to talk, the following sentences will be missed. Sometimes, it is just too much trouble to keep up, so you give up.
Hearing Loss and Social Isolation
In the previous example, you can see how difficult it is to maintain a social connection with other people. If the hearing-impaired person asks to have something repeated, the normal hearing person will sometimes repeat but may not talk slower to help facilitate understanding. More likely, they will repeat part of the dialogue and expect the other person to keep up. These types of exchanges contribute to social isolation. The hearing impaired will not want to engage in conversations that are too stressful to keep up or conversations that make them feel less than adequate. I have heard patients say, “It is easier to pretend that I understood what was said so they don’t think I am mentally slow.” I have heard comments like, “My family gets mad at me if I don’t understand what is being said,” or they will be told, “You were sitting right there, why didn’t you listen?”
If you are sitting with a hearing-impaired person talking only to them, facing them and speaking slower than normal, you will probably be understood. However, if there are three or more people talking, people no longer look directly at the person with hearing loss when speaking. They assume everyone is able to keep up with the various speakers. But the hearing-impaired person is dealing with different voice pitches, different rates of speech, perhaps someone is laughing at the same time someone is talking. This all makes being with other people more stressful and less enjoyable. It is easier to sit and read a book or watch TV than be with other people.
Hearing Loss and Loneliness
Loneliness is a state of mind in which what someone wants and what they are experiencing is not aligned. Another description of loneliness is the feeling we get when our needs for rewarding social contact and relationships are not met. You might feel misunderstood or not cared for by the people around you. You do not have to be alone to be lonely. People can experience loneliness in a group of people.
If you have difficulty interacting with people, you might feel lonely. Hearing loss may create an invisible barrier to building a relationship with family and friends. It is hard to maintain relationships if you don’t understand what is being said or feel the conversations are not interesting.
Feeling lonely can trigger dejection and depression. It is important to address the hearing loss before attempting to change social activities. If you try new activities with the hearing loss, you may feel overwhelmed and misunderstood. Work with an audiologist to find the best amplification for your particular needs. The noise reduction and assistive technology will be important features to discuss. Your desired lifestyle needs and the price point of the hearing aids will be important information in a discussion with your audiologist. QCBN
By Karon Lynn, Au.D.
Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.
Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.
