The vast majority of those who wear hearing aids consider them devices of communication. They’re exactly right! Great ones, actually! Most often, communication is the primary reason that we add hearing aids to improve our day to day life.
However, also keep in mind that hearing aids act as brain activators, emergency alert tools for notification, and connectivity devices. It is for this reason that many hearing professionals urge you to wear your hearing aid(s) every single day - and YES, even when you’re just relaxing at home.
Hearing aids are brain activators
It’s imperative to keep our brains active as much as possible. Processing sound remains extremely important in order to keep our brain active. 639 adults were monitored for 12 years in a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins. Unfortunately, the study found that even mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia. Furthermore, individuals with untreated hearing loss were FIVE times more likely to develop dementia [1].
Being able to hear incidental sounds even with no direct conversation is vital to keep the brain processing fully active. As a matter of fact working with pediatric patients, incidental sounds and incidental learning are so critical for early development, that noise management features are often disabled to expose the children to as many different sounds as possible [2].
Even if you’re not using your hearing aids for close direct person-to-person communication as much as you did prior to the pandemic, being able to hear incidental sounds is very beneficial to your brain.
Why hearing aids are essential for emergency alerts
Considering your safety as well as the safety of everyone around you, it will be easier to hear alarms and sirens when your hearing aids are on and active. Also, do you remember all the “new” sounds you could hear when first experiencing amplification? Many patients have said that they “never realized how loud the refrigerator was” or that a “belt in their car had been squeaking and needed repair.” Your ability to hear all sounds, and not just the sounds we want to hear is crucial to your health and safety.
A hearing aid is now a connectivity device
Last but truly not least, today’s hearing aids are important in keeping us socially connected to loved ones, friends and colleagues. Also, the hearing aid’s ability to connect to a smartphone, tablet, and the television definitely helps those with hearing loss remain up to date on news, information, entertainment and much more.
If you wear Bluetooth enabled hearing aids like our Livio Edge AI devices, you can easily communicate with family and friends. Streaming all of these sounds to your hearing aids and staying in contact is simpler than it has ever been before!
Being able to hear the small incidental sounds that are all around can make us better listeners, more safe, and give us the ability to stay connected to the people and activities we love.