Hearing loss affects 44 million Americans but most people dismiss it as normal aging. Untreated hearing loss is the most preventable risk factor for dementia, yet stigma around hearing aids keeps people from getting help early.
What do most people, in your opinion, fundamentally misunderstand about the relationship between hearing and brain health?
Well, they don't connect it. When people think I have a hearing loss, ask anybody about it, the first thing they say is I'm old. The stigmas that associated with hearing aids and hearing loss, and if I have hearing loss, well, I'm not gonna die from it. I don't need to do anything about it. So it's a disadvantage that is out there more than people think. But 44 million in the US and half a billion around the world, it's a health issue, but it's not one that's alarming people because it's quiet and it's invisible.
In preparing for the podcast, I started going down some of the rabbit hole and the science behind hearing loss and its connectivity to brain health early on, cognitive decline. Hearing loss is the most preventable way to mitigate the risks of dementia.
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