NEW YORK – Almost twice as many people report hearing loss as they do diabetes or cancer, but a new study shows only 11-percent of women and 13-percent of men use hearing aids.
If you’ve rejected using one in the past, you may want to reconsider.
A study published in the journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined nearly 115,000 people age 66 and over with hearing loss.
It determined those using hearing aids had about an 18-percent lower risk of getting an Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis within three years of a hearing loss diagnosis.
In that same time period, the risk of being diagnosed with depression or anxiety was about 11-percent lower for hearing aid users; while the chance for being hurt after a fall was about 13-percent lower for those using a hearing aid.
Researchers say although there are clear links between the use of hearing aids and lowered risk of mental decline; more studies are needed to examine cause and effect.
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