Are you the primary caretaker for someone over the age of 70? There’s a lot to take into consideration. You aren’t likely to forget to take a loved one to an oncologist or a cardiologist because those are clear priorities. What falls through the cracks, however, are the little things, including the annual exam with a hearing professional or making sure Mom’s hearing aids are charged. And those things are a bigger priority than you might suspect.
For The Health of a Senior, Hearing is Essential
More and more published research has echoed one surprising truth: your hearing is vitally important. Beyond the ability to hear and enjoy music or communicate, your hearing plays an extremely important role. Loss of cognitive abilities and depression are a couple of mental health issues that have been associated with neglected hearing loss.
So when you skip Mom’s hearing appointment, you might inadvertently be increasing her chances of developing these problems, including dementia. If Mom isn’t able to hear as well these days, she could begin to isolate herself; she eats dinner alone in her room, stops going to movies, and doesn’t meet with her friends.
When hearing loss takes hold, this kind of social separation occurs very quickly. So mood may not be the reason for the distant behavior you’ve been observing in Dad or Mom. Hearing loss may be the issue. And that hearing-induced isolation can itself potentially result in cognitive decline (your brain is a very use-it-or-lose-it type of organ). So regarding a senior parents mental and physical health, noticing and dealing with hearing loss is crucial.
Making Hearing a Priority
Okay, we’ve persuaded you. You now accept that neglected hearing loss can result in several health problems and that you need to take hearing seriously. What steps should you take to make hearing a priority? There are a few things you can do:
- Every night before bed, make sure your parents put their hearing aids on the charger (at least in situations where their hearing aids are rechargeable).
- Remind your parents to use their hearing aids every day. Consistent use of hearing aids can help ensure that these devices are operating to their optimal capacity.
- The same is the situation if you observe a senior starting to segregate themselves, canceling on friends and staying inside more. A trip to come see us can help illuminate the existence of any hearing concerns.
- Anyone over the age of 55 or 60 should be having a hearing screening every year or so. Be certain that your senior parent has a scheduled consultation for such a screening.
- Monitor your parents’ behavior. If your parent is gradually turning the volume on their TV up, you can determine the issue by making an appointment with a hearing professional.
How to Reduce Health Problems in The Future
Being a caregiver probably isn’t your only job so you most likely have a lot to deal with. And if hearing concerns aren’t causing immediate issues, they could seem a little trivial. But there’s rather clear evidence: managing hearing conditions now can avoid a multitude of serious problems in the long run.
So when you take a loved one to their hearing exam, you could be preventing much more costly health conditions down the road. Depression could be avoided before it even begins. You may even be able to decrease Mom’s risk of getting dementia in the near-term future.
For most of us, that’s worth a trip to a hearing specialist. And it’s certainly worth a quick reminder to Mom that she needs to be using her hearing aid more diligently. And once that hearing aid is in, you might just be able to have a nice conversation, too.
