HEARING LOSS AND OPTIONS FOR HEARING HEALTH CARE

For the first time, hearing aids can now be purchased directly by consumers online and at retail stores without a prescription, but only about 20-30% of people who could benefit from hearing aids have ever purchased or used them. With so many options available at various price points, it can be difficult for consumers to make a choice.

The best way to determine when it might be time to get hearing aids is to consider the impact hearing loss has on your life, whether it be at work, in social situations, with your family or even in your home. If you struggle to hear in any of those situations, then you should seek help.

Research has demonstrated that hearing loss increases your risk of developing dementia. What we don’t have evidence of yet is if the use of hearing aids lessens that risk or reverses it. But we do know that people with untreated hearing loss tend to limit their interactions with the outside world, which can have a detrimental effect on cognitive health. Getting treatment for your hearing loss will help you engage more effectively and more regularly with the people around you.

Hear more about this important topic from Sterling Sheffield, Au.D., Ph.D., an audiologist and assistant professor in the department of speech, language, and hearing sciences at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions.