Having healthy hearing involves so much more than hearing sound. It is crucial for connection, communication, and supporting our cognitive health.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive condition, and the most common cause of Dementia in the UK. It can result in confusion, behaviour changes, and problems with speech and coordination.
Hearing Loss and Brain Health
When hearing loss is left untreated, research has shown that there may be a connection with Alzheimer’s. A study has indicated that adults with untreated hearing loss could be up to 5 times more likely to suffer from dementia than those with normal hearing.
Hearing loss results in the brain working harder to process sounds. This extra strain or cognitive overload, then diverts resources away from other functions such as memory and critical thinking.
Studies show that the brain structure can undergo changes when there is an issue with hearing loss. This includes the part of the brain that is involved with processing sound and speech.
Hearing loss can also contribute to social isolation, which in turn negatively affects cognitive function.
Audiologists
An audiologist is a healthcare professional who deals with hearing and balance issues.
Specialist services of an audiologist Cheltenham, such as https://www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/cheltenham/ can assist with all of your hearing issues and needs, including hearing tests, hearing aid fitting and aftercare, plus tinnitus management.
By enlisting the help of a professional, you can ensure early detection of any hearing issues, together with bespoke solutions to suit your needs.
How Alzheimer’s relates to other dementias
Alzheimer’s is not separate from dementia but one form of it. Dementia is an umbrella term for a number of diseases that affect the brain, and Alzheimer’s is the most common, accounting for 60 to 80% of dementia diagnoses.
Almost two thirds of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are women, even though post-mortem studies suggest men and women are equally affected. The early signs can differ. In women it usually shows first as memory problems, while in men the early stages tend to affect behaviour, movement and language more.
Memory problems do not automatically mean Alzheimer’s, and fear of that diagnosis stops many people seeing a doctor. They can have many causes, including temporary states such as delirium, normal ageing and cognitive decline. Even a diagnosis of cognitive impairment does not mean dementia will follow: after five years, only 29% of people diagnosed had progressed to it. Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, and some people are diagnosed in their twenties.
How Alzheimer’s typically progresses
Alzheimer’s disease develops slowly and usually worsens over several years. As it advances it affects memory, thinking, language and problem solving, and later personality and mobility. Symptoms and speed vary from person to person, but most people follow a similar path.
In the first stage there is no memory impairment and no obvious sign of dementia, so the disease goes undetected. In the second, there is very mild decline that looks like the normal forgetfulness of ageing, such as misplacing keys, and family and doctors rarely notice.
The third stage brings more forgetfulness and trouble concentrating. Work performance may fall, or everyday tasks such as housework and paying bills become harder. People may get lost or struggle to find the right word in conversation. The fourth stage is what doctors describe as early dementia, with recent events forgotten and growing difficulty with problem solving and managing money. Because struggling to follow conversation can also be a sign of hearing loss, it helps to have hearing checked when these changes appear.