How can treating hearing loss help me stay youthful and active?

Addressing hearing loss is one of the best things you can do to stay youthful and improve your quality of life. In fact, new technologies have made it easier to manage hearing loss and stay engaged in life. Today’s hearing aids help people with hearing loss better hear sounds and people from all directions, and they filter out noise. Many sit discreetly and comfortably inside the ear canal; and many are wireless, so they can interface easily with other high-tech devices like smartphones, home entertainment systems, conference-room speakerphones, and hearing loops.

Addressing hearing loss really can help you better maintain your vitality. Here’s how:

By getting out and enjoying life: People with hearing difficulty who use hearing aids get more pleasure in doing things and are even more likely to exercise and meet up with friends to socialize, BHI research shows. By nurturing relationships and

social connections: Most people who currently wear hearing aids say it not only helps their overall ability to communicate effectively in most situations, but it also has a positive effect on their relationships and ability to participate in group activities. By keeping a positive outlook: Research shows hearing aid users are more likely to be optimistic and feel engaged in life. Many even say

they feel more confident and better about themselves as a result of using hearing aids.

By being a go-getter: People who use hearing aids are more likely to tackle problems actively. And most hearing aid users in the workforce say it has helped their performance on the job. In fact, BHI research found that using hearing aids reduced the risk of income loss by 90 to 100 percent for those with milder hearing loss, and from 65 to 77 percent for those with severe to moderate hearing loss.

By doing what you can to protect your cognitive function, stay on your feet, and keep the blues away: A study from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University found that hearing aids may slow cognitive decline tied to hearing loss. The study found that estimated 20-year rates of decline in memory and global function were greatest in participants who did not use a hearing aid. Another Johns Hopkins study showed that people in middle age with even just mild hearing loss were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling.