Examining the Link Between Dementia and Hearing Loss

Hearing loss affects 466 million people around the world.¹ It's especially prevalent in older adults, impacting more than 40% of people age 50 and older, and 71% of people age 70 and older.²

Now, consider this: Compared to those with normal hearing, people with hearing loss can have a higher chance of developing dementia.³

Read on to explore the link between hearing loss and dementia, since understanding the connection can be helpful for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.⁴

Can Hearing Loss Cause Dementia?

Dementia is a term used to describe the decline of cognitive abilities such as memory, reasoning and language. Dementia is not a normal part of aging.⁵

In a recent study of older adults, those with moderate or severe hearing loss were 61% more likely to have dementia than those with normal hearing.⁶ Other studies have shown that for those in midlife (ages 45 to 65), mild hearing loss doubles the chance of dementia; moderate hearing loss triples the possibility of dementia; and severe hearing loss increases the chances of dementia fivefold.¹

Compared to those with normal hearing, people with untreated hearing loss:

• Are more likely to develop dementia
• May have a faster rate of cognitive decline

To be clear, hearing loss doesn't cause dementia. But if hearing loss is present, there's a higher chance of developing dementia.⁴

How Hearing Loss Can Impact the Brain

The connection between dementia and hearing loss isn't fully understood.⁶ However, researchers have some theories that can help explain the link. Here are three:

Overloading brain circuits

When you have hearing loss, your brain must constantly work hard to process degraded sounds. That leaves less available brain power for thinking and remembering.³

Brain damage

When your brain is less stimulated with sound information, the chronic deprivation can lead to brain atrophy.³ This change in your brain structure can increase the chances of cognitive impairment.²

Social isolation

To avoid feeling uncomfortable in social situations, people with hearing loss tend to disengage from others. The lack of social engagement can lead to loneliness and depression, which can increase the possibility of dementia.³ Social isolation can also translate to less participation in mentally stimulating activities.⁷ And a lack of stimulation results in less growth of the neural pathways needed for proper memory functioning.⁸

Tips to Prevent Hearing Loss

Here's some good news: Treating hearing loss improves one's chances of preventing dementia.⁶ In fact, up to 8% of dementia cases may be prevented with proper hearing-loss management.⁹

Take a look at some common approaches to avoiding cognitive decline for those with hearing loss.

Hearing aids

Hearing aids are small electronic devices that are worn in the ear or behind the ear, and contain a microphone, amplifier and speaker.¹⁰ These assistive devices can be a minimally invasive, cost-effective way to decrease the chance of dementia.¹¹

In fact, in a recent study of older adults, those who wore hearing aids were 32% less likely to have dementia than those who had moderate or severe hearing loss and didn't wear hearing aids.⁶ Another study revealed that hearing aids reduced the rate of cognitive decline in older adults with a good chance of developing dementia by nearly 50% over a three-year span.¹²

Properly fitting hearing aids can:

• Reduce listening effort, which frees up cognitive resources for other tasks
• Stimulate areas of the brain that have been neglected due to hearing loss
• Improve social communication, which can prevent or delay dementia

And for those already living with dementia, hearing aids or other hearing devices can still be beneficial, as they can make communication easier and improve quality of life.⁷

Cochlear implants

Cochlear implants are another option for treating hearing loss. Rather than amplifying sound, these devices provide the sense of sound by stimulating the auditory nerve directly. Cochlear implants require surgical implantation.

You may be a candidate for cochlear implants if:¹³

• You have moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss (hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear).
• You receive limited benefit from hearing aids.
• You are committed to the process of learning to understand sounds with the implant.

Like hearing aids, cochlear implants are linked with reduced development of cognitive decline.¹⁴

Auditory training

Keep in mind that regaining the ability to hear sounds with personal listening devices like hearing aids or cochlear implants doesn't mean your brain can immediately comprehend those sounds. That takes practice.¹⁵

Auditory training involves exercises designed to improve speech comprehension and sound localization skills, which can then reduce the cognitive overload associated with hearing loss.¹⁶

Auditory training can:

• Help you adjust to hearing aids or cochlear implants
• Train your brain to comprehend faster
• Give you more listening stamina

Social Engagement to Prevent Cognitive Decline

Social isolation can be a problem for people with untreated hearing loss.⁷ But social connections can help keep your brain healthy and decrease chances of dementia and other cognitive issues.¹⁷ That's why it's important to maintain good relationships with friends and family and take advantage of opportunities for give-and-take conversation.¹⁷

Tips for communicating with people with hearing loss

Of course, hearing loss can make communication tricky. Here are some dos and don'ts to help facilitate better conversations with someone with hearing loss.

Do:

• Make sure the location has enough lighting so they can follow nonverbal cues.¹⁸
• Choose a place with minimal background noise.
• Say their name before starting a conversation.
• Speak more toward their right or left side if they hear better in that ear.
• Speak slowly and clearly.
• Use gestures.
• Shorten your sentences and rephrase when necessary.¹⁹

Don't:

• Cover your mouth when speaking.
• Talk while chewing or smoking.
• Talk with your back turned to them.¹⁸
• Speak from another room.
• Change topics abruptly.¹⁹
• Interrupt or speak over others.
• Shout or exaggerate mouth movements.¹⁹

The Bottom Line

While hearing loss doesn't cause dementia, it does increase the chance of developing dementia. But the good news is that hearing loss is treatable. If you suspect you have hearing loss, it's important to get evaluated by a hearing specialist, who can recommend treatment options. After all, there's no downside to getting your hearing checked and addressing hearing loss with interventions like hearing aids and other strategies. And by treating hearing loss as soon as it's diagnosed, you may be able to slow or prevent the associated cognitive decline.²⁰

Financing Ear Care With the CareCredit Credit Card

The CareCredit credit card can help you pay for hearing care, including regular hearing tests, screenings and more.* Use our Acceptance Locator to find a hearing specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue to invest in your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your account, find a provider on the go and easily access the Well U blog for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

In addition to hearing care, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for dentistry, cosmetic, pet care, vision, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network. How will you invest in your health and wellness next?

Author Bio

Robyn Tellefsen is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering health and wellness, finance and more. Her work has appeared on sites such as LoopNet, Beachside Rehab, First Horizon Bank, SoFi, A Place for Mom, American Express, Chase and more.