World Hearing Day: Time to get your hearing checked!

Uncorrected hearing loss increases your risk of dementia.

Senior woman getting her hearing checked

World Hearing Day (3 March) aims to raise awareness about hearing loss and improved hearing care.

Over 70% of Australians aged 70+ experience hearing loss. It is one of the most common long-term conditions associated with ageing. Yet hearing loss is often under-diagnosed and under-treated. And most people don’t realise the considerable impacts of hearing loss, or that it is linked with serious conditions, including anxiety, depression and dementia.

Untreated hearing loss is associated with:

lower levels of social engagement
increased risk of social isolation
poorer mental wellbeing
reduced spatial awareness, balance problems and increased falls risk.

Studies have shown that hearing loss can significantly increase the risk of developing dementia – the greater the hearing loss, the greater the risk. For people already diagnosed with dementia, untreated hearing loss (and other sensory impairments) can exacerbate challenges of daily living.

Hearing loss accounts for 8% of the risk for developing dementia.
But wearing hearing aids can reduce your risk. The earlier people start using hearing aids, the more likely they are to continue using them and to derive the benefits.”
Professor Henry Brodaty from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA).

There have been considerable advances in hearing aid technology over the past five years. Digital hearing aids are effective at filtering out background noise and work with Bluetooth technology.

Symptoms of hearing loss

First signs of hearing loss include:

Difficulty hearing in noisy places and hearing conversations
Difficulty understanding people, especially if they are wearing a mask or not facing you
Often needing to ask people to repeat themselves
Hearing muffled sounds, as though people are mumbling
Turning the TV up louder than other people
Missing your phone/doorbell ringing
Not hearing high pitched sounds like the beep of a thermometer
Constant buzzing or ringing in your ears
Increased discomfort with loud noises.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, book in to see your GP or an audiologist. Get your hearing checked now so you have a baseline moving forward. Hearing Australia encourage people aged over 60 years to have an annual check-up.

For more information

Check the Australian Government’s hearing services program to see if you are eligible for subsidised hearing services and devices.
Read more about hearing and dementia the Dementia Australia website.
Find out about how to Reduce your risk of dementia.