{"id":703,"date":"2019-03-01T23:24:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T23:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valleyaudiology.com\/?p=703"},"modified":"2019-03-05T00:18:19","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T00:18:19","slug":"how-hearing-loss-affects-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valleyaudiology.com\/how-hearing-loss-affects-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hearing Loss Affects Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you are experiencing hearing loss in Concord, you\u2019re already dealing with plenty of challenges in your daily life. In addition to many well-known risk factors associated with hearing loss, your odds of developing memory impairment are also higher.<\/p>\n
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Cognitive ability naturally diminishes as we age. Changes in the brain\u2019s overall volume lead to gradual declines in certain key areas such as memory, concentration and thinking skills. It\u2019s a normal part of the aging process, much like wrinkles and yelling at your neighbor\u2019s kids to get off the lawn.<\/p>\n
Mild cognitive impairment<\/a> is sort of a middle ground between normal, age-related decline and more serious conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s disease. People with hearing loss in Concord are more likely to experience these negative effects \u2013 especially if they don\u2019t seek treatment.<\/p>\n Many studies have been done that point to a positive correlation between hearing loss and problems with memory and cognition. One such study<\/a>, led by a team of researchers from Johns-Hopkins University, followed 2,000 older adults over a six-year timeframe.<\/p>\n When the study began, none of them showed signs of cognitive impairment. They were given hearing and cognitive tests in the fifth year of the study and results were compared with baseline scores developed at the outset.<\/p>\n The results, published in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/a><\/em> in 2013, showed an undeniable link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Participants who began the study with hearing loss that was bad enough to interfere with their daily conversational ability experienced cognitive decline at a rate 24 percent higher than that of the normal-hearing population. For these individuals, poor memory was often the first telltale sign.<\/p>\nReasons Why Hearing and Memory are Related<\/h2>\n