How Hearing Aids Improve Brain Health In The Elderly

How Hearing Aids Improve Brain FunctionYou’re growing older, and you realize that part of doing so means that your health may not be as good as it once was. While you’re willing to accept this, you wish that the one thing you weren’t struggling with was your hearing. Unfortunately, one of the issues you find you must now deal with is your hearing loss.

Hearing aids are an option you’ve considered looking into ever since you started losing your hearing. You’re afraid of how you’d look while wearing them. However, you value your hearing too much to give up hope, especially now that you hear that they can improve your brain function too.

With all these thoughts running through your head, you’ve found yourself in search of information that can help you justify wearing hearing aids. Fortunately, this information isn’t all that difficult to find. You can take a few minutes to check it out here.

Justification for Wearing Hearing Aids Today

If you find yourself suffering from hearing loss and decreased brain function, you’re not alone. The University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences (HESP) says this is a prevalent issue that many older adults are dealing with today.

With statistics proving that this statement is true, a team of researchers from UMD set out on a 6-month journey. Their goal was to monitor a group of people who were using hearing aids for the first time. Various behavioral and cognitive tests were used to monitor these participants’ brain function. These measurements included working memory, attention, processing speed, and electrical activity produced in response to speech sounds in the auditory cortex and midbrain.

Understanding the Results of This Research

At the end of the 6-month journey showed improvement in their brain function. This improvement was especially true regarding patients’ neural speech processing and ease of listening. The reason for the improvement was because they were wearing hearing aids.

Researchers also believe that these benefits may also extend past those having to do with brain function. They believe that patients could see an improvement in their working memory and the auditory functions in their brain. This improvement would result in the reversal of several major communication issues that many older adults face.

The National Institutes of Health believes that the information in this study could benefit around 28.8 million Americans. However, they understand that some significant barriers keep people from seeking help with their hearing. One of the main issues they mention is that hearing devices are so expensive that many people simply can’t afford them.

Unfortunately, anyone who can’t afford to get help is likely to suffer from cognitive decline. These people may also experience changes in their brain’s ability to efficiently process speech, especially in noisy backgrounds.

Get Your Hearing Aids Today

UMD researchers are hopeful that this study’s results will help people understand that wearing hearing aids can also help them regain some of their brain function (particularly auditory functioning). At Countryside Hearing Aid Services in Pinellas County, FL we are also hopeful in this regard because we really want nothing but the best for our patients. For this reason, we strive to make hearing treatment both accessible and affordable for adults.

The first step is setting up an appointment with us to have a hearing test done. From there we’ll move forward to get you the help that you need. We want you to get the device you need so that you can comfortably hear what’s happening around you. However, as many of our customers will tell you, we won’t stop until you’re satisfied, so make sure you contact us today.

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