By age 40 1 in 10 adults is markedly reduced hearing acuity. Hearing deteriorates slowly and gradually, so it’s hard to understand that something is missing.
When a person decides there is a problem with hearing, age-related memory loss may have already started. But this process can be slowed down, restoring hearing with hearing AIDS, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Scientists have observed about 2000 elderly people before and after using hearing aid within the framework of the U.S. national Study of Health and Pension benefits (Health and Retirement Study).
We found that the rate of decline in cognitive abilities slowed down by 75% after the introduction of hearing AIDS. This is a surprising result, says the author asri Maharani (Maharani Asri), researcher of the Department of neuroscience and experimental psychology, University of Manchester (University of Manchester).
Assessment of cognitive abilities over time has been conducted every two years (1996 to 2014) in the form of a series of tests, face-to-face. For the estimation of memory required to repeat a list of 10 words immediately after the words were read aloud, and then after diverting to other tasks.
We did not expect that the use of a hearing aid will eliminate cognitive decline. But the decline in the pace of change is quite significant, explains experimental psychologist piers Dawes (Piers Dawes), one of the authors of the study.
Slowing the rate of decline was equal to memory a less than another one of the words in the test. This is a small but measurable result, further proving a strong link between hearing loss and cognitive decline.
According to the doctor-audiologist Dina Rollins (Dina Rollins), which was not involved in the study, the stimulation of your ears stimulates the nerves that stimulate your brain.
Hearing loss leads to social isolation, but many do not want to wear a hearing aid, afraid to look old. In recent years, the technology of their production has significantly progressed, they became much less noticeable, especially if covered by hair.
Another obstacle is the high cost. Often people only agrees after persuasion family. However, after the installation of hearing aid quality of life markedly improved.
Another common disease of aging is the deterioration of vision, usually due to cataracts. A study conducted by the same researchers and published in PLOS One, shows that visual recovery significantly slows cognitive decline.
In the framework of the large English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Longitudinal Study of Ageing), similar to the above-mentioned American study, were evaluated long-term outcomes of about 2,000 elderly people who had undergone surgery for cataract.
We found that the rate of cognitive decline slowed by 50% after cataract surgery, tells Maharani.
Healthy aging depends on many lifestyle factors, nutrition and physical activity. But it is important to know that vision correction and the decision of the hearing not less important.
Valeria SEMA