I'm thinking about getting hearing aids.

I'm only 59 years old and don't feel like I have a hearing problem at all, but a few years ago I went to an ENT and he did a hearing test on me and said I needed hearing aids! I laughed it off of course, but recently I have noticed that my balance has gotten worse and I always have to grab onto things to keep from falling. And I have been getting vertigo a lot too. I know those things are inner ear related. Well a customer came in my work and was telling me that he just got hearing aids and how mid doctor told him that if you have ANY kind of hearing problem, it dramatically increases your risk for Alzheimer's!!! I didn't believe him, but after googling it, I found out that is true! That wearing a hearing aid like in your 40's or 50's or if you have any hearing issues from loud music, or whatever reduces your risk of getting dementia by almost 50%!! The thought of Alzheimer's is one of my biggest fears, especially since I am alone. So I want to do anything I can to prevent getting it. So I think I might get hearing aids. But I don't want to get the kind from the doctor that cost over $5,000- I want to get the kind that you can order online and can finance. Does anyone else here have that kind that they could recommend?

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

Is it really the case that poor hearing causes dementia? Or that they are both symptoms of an underlying condition?

This article suggests that hearing aids improve communication abilities in those who are specifically already known to be at risk but not for the control group.

In the main analysis of all study participants, the researchers saw no difference in the rate of change in cognitive functioning between people who received the hearing aids and those who didn’t.

However, when the analysis focused on people from the heart-health study, who had a higher risk of dementia, the benefit of the hearing aids was substantial. Those who received hearing aids had an almost 50% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline compared with people in the health-education group.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/hearing-aids-slow-cognitive-decline-people-high-risk

So unless you have reason to believe that you are especially at risk you probably shouldn't worry unduly. And remember that the study was of people in the 70 to 84 year old range.

Of course getting your hearing properly checked and corrected is a good idea, being able to hear makes life a lot easier.

But why would they cost 5 kUSD? You can get hearing aids here in high cost Norway for less than 2 kUSD.

It doesn't seem to be proven that hearing aids are necessarily effective at restoring balance either. See this literature review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9666870/

Mardrae · 61-69, F

@ninalanyon read this
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss#:~:text=In%20a%20study%20that%20tracked,more%20likely%20to%20develop%20dementia.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Mardrae

But recent research from Johns Hopkins reveals that it also is linked with walking problems, falls and even dementia.
...
Can hearing aids reduce these risks? Lin hopes to find out in a new study, still in the planning stages.

Linked with does not mean causes or is caused by. Another kind of link that is missing is a link to the actual study, all the article does is to paraphrase a little of what, presumably, was written in the abstract.

Again, I'm not arguing that getting a hearing aid is a bad idea, just that a causal link between hearing loss and dementia is unproven and that you probably don't need to worry unduly.

Mardrae · 61-69, F

@ninalanyon I hope not. I am just super paranoid about Alzheimer's and am very concerned about my balance problems and vertigo , and I know that it's inner ear related.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Mardrae Get it all checked! My wife and I had to pester my sister into getting hearing aids because she was just unwilling to accept that her hearing was bad. She's a lot happier now she can hear better. Mind you she also has something extra to moan about when the battery fails, or she forgets where she put them! :-)

Mardrae · 61-69, F

@ninalanyon 😂 Glad they are helping her at least