and consider myself healthy, active and happy with life in general
about eight months ago I started using the $5000 Phonak hearing aids mainly to perhaps hear better during our kaffeeklatsch after exercise class . It was determined that I do have mainly high frequency hearing loss and hearing impairment hearing conversations when in a group environment. I have to admit that it has not really helped all that much with hearing conversations but tinnitus has diminished and bird song has almost become almost an obsession.
I attend concerts all the time and was amazed that I can clearly hear specific instruments like the harp in the wind symphony or the unique period sound of the xylophone played during a Sousa opera. The renewed awareness of these sounds is much like my vision improvement after cataract removal. Everything from hearing the sparkling rattle of water running to the staccato click of a feeding cardinal take on new meaning. I had forgotten how important these simple vibrations were and it was truly a joy to experienced them again seemingly for the first time.
I know we are mainly looking at brain health in this discussion but are there mortality statistics that correlate with these factors that we employ sustain and enhance our brain health?
Hi George! Thanks for sharing your experience! One of the studies we discussed actually looked at hearing aid use and mortality risk (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38183998/). Though it's an observational study and any benefits of hearing aids on mortality are probably indirect, I think that a consistent take away is that continuing to engage with the environment and other people (as well as all the other lifestyle/environmental changes that support brain health) is generally associated with lower mortality risk in addition to lower dementia risk.
great discussion
I am 81 and a life long learner
and consider myself healthy, active and happy with life in general
about eight months ago I started using the $5000 Phonak hearing aids mainly to perhaps hear better during our kaffeeklatsch after exercise class . It was determined that I do have mainly high frequency hearing loss and hearing impairment hearing conversations when in a group environment. I have to admit that it has not really helped all that much with hearing conversations but tinnitus has diminished and bird song has almost become almost an obsession.
I attend concerts all the time and was amazed that I can clearly hear specific instruments like the harp in the wind symphony or the unique period sound of the xylophone played during a Sousa opera. The renewed awareness of these sounds is much like my vision improvement after cataract removal. Everything from hearing the sparkling rattle of water running to the staccato click of a feeding cardinal take on new meaning. I had forgotten how important these simple vibrations were and it was truly a joy to experienced them again seemingly for the first time.
I know we are mainly looking at brain health in this discussion but are there mortality statistics that correlate with these factors that we employ sustain and enhance our brain health?
Hi George! Thanks for sharing your experience! One of the studies we discussed actually looked at hearing aid use and mortality risk (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38183998/). Though it's an observational study and any benefits of hearing aids on mortality are probably indirect, I think that a consistent take away is that continuing to engage with the environment and other people (as well as all the other lifestyle/environmental changes that support brain health) is generally associated with lower mortality risk in addition to lower dementia risk.