Having to visit the ER can be personally and financially costly. What if you could reduce your chances of falls, accidents, anxiety, depression, and even dementia while also eliminating trips to the ER.
Wearing your hearing aid can be the difference between living an engaged healthy life and taking many trips to the ER, according to some new studies.
The Study
This University of Michigan study gathered participants that ranged from 65-85. Serious hearing loss was a common problem between them. But only 45% of the participants wore their hearing aids regularly.
This is on par with similar studies which have revealed that only about 30% of individuals who have hearing aids actually wear them.
Of the 585 individuals in the hearing aid group, 12 fewer people ended up in the ER or non-elective hospital stay.
This may not seem like a very large number. But statistically, this is significant.
And there’s more. They also discovered that one day fewer, on average, was spent in the hospital for people who wore their hearing aids. They were more likely to show up for regular appointments with their doctors, which most likely decreased their time in ER.
How Can Emergency Care Visits be Decreased by Using Hearing Aids?
The first one is obvious. If an individual is keeping up with their health, they’re more likely to stay out of ER.
Also, people who wear their hearing aids remain more socially involved. When a person is socially connected they are usually more motivated to keep their appointments and also have more help from family and friends getting to the doctor.
And driving is less dangerous when you can hear, so you will be more confident if you are getting yourself to your appointment.
Additionally, a U.S. study found that those with hearing loss who don’t wear their hearing aid are twice as likely to be depressed. Health issues related to lack of self care is frequently an outcome of depression.
Thirdly, various studies have found that using your hearing aid can minimize the risk of falling and cognitive decline. As a person starts to lose their hearing, the corresponding part of the brain starts to decline from disuse. Over time, this can extend through the brain. As this happens, people often experience dementia symptoms as well as the disorientation and lack of balance associated with falls.
Long hospital stays frequently accompany falls and falling is a major cause of senior death.
Hearing aids reduce visits to the ER for these reasons amongst others.
So Why is Wearing Hearing Aids Something That so Many Individuals Avoid?
There’s truly no good reason.
Some don’t wear them because they think that hearing aids make them seem older than they are. 25% of individuals over 65 and 50% of people above the age of 75 have hearing loss and yet this perception of looking old with hearing aids remains. Hearing loss is not unusual. It’s common. And due to the increase in noise pollution and earbud usage, hearing loss is on the rise with people in their twenties.
Ironically, continuously asking people to repeat what they said often makes a person look a lot older than they are.
Some people cite the costs of hearing aids. However, financing is possible for hearing aids and prices have come down in the past few years.
Some individuals don’t like the way hearing aids sound. If this is a problem for you, your hearing specialist can help you understand what settings work best in different circumstances. Hearing aids don’t always fit and sound perfect on the first fitting and sometimes require several attempts.
Make an appointment with your hearing specialist so we can help you feel more comfortable wearing your hearing aids.