When you’re a youngster, falling is simply a part of life. Wiping out on your bike? Not unusual. Getting tripped up when running across the yard. Happens all of the time. It’s not really a worry because, well, kids are kind of limber. They rebound quite easily.
As you grow older though, that becomes less and less true. Falling becomes more and more of a concern as you get older. In part, that’s because your bones generally break more easily (and heal more slowly). Older individuals tend to spend more time lying on the floor in pain because they have a harder time getting back up. Falling is the leading injury-associated cause of death as a result.
That’s why tools and devices that can decrease falls are always being sought out by healthcare professionals. Hearing aids may be just such a device according to research.
Can hearing loss lead to falls?
If you want to understand how hearing aids could potentially prevent a fall, you need to ask this related question: does hearing loss make you more likely to fall to begin with? In some instances, it appears that the answer is a strong affirmative.
So why does hearing loss raise the risk of a fall for people?
That link isn’t really that intuitive. After all, hearing loss does not directly impact your ability to move or see. But this sort of direct impact on your mobility, and an elevated risk of falling, can be a result of some hearing loss symptoms. Here are some of those symptoms:
- Loss of balance: How is your balance impacted by hearing loss? Well, your general balance depends greatly on your inner ear. So you may find yourself dizzy, experience vertigo, and lose your balance when hearing loss impacts the inner ear. In other words, you have a tendency to fall more frequently.
- High-frequency sounds get lost: You know how when you walk into an auditorium, you instantly know that you’re in a spacious venue, even if you close your eyes? Or when you jump into a car and you immediately know you’re in close quarters? That’s because your ears are utilizing high-pitched sounds to help you “echolocate,” basically. When you’re unable to hear high-pitch sounds due to hearing loss, you can’t make those assessments quite as rapidly or intuitively. Loss of situational awareness and disorientation can be the outcome.
- Depression: Neglected hearing loss can lead to social isolation and depression (not to mention an increased danger of dementia). You are likely to be at home a lot more when you’re socially separated, and tripping hazards will be all around without anyone to help you.
- Exhaustion: When you’re dealing with untreated hearing loss, your ears are continuously straining, and your brain is always working overtime. Your brain will be constantly exhausted as a consequence. An exhausted brain is less likely to see that obstacle in your path, and, as a result, you might wind up tripping and falling over something that an attentive brain would have detected.
- Your situational awareness is impaired: When you have untreated hearing loss, you might not be as able to hear that approaching vehicle, or the barking dog beside you, or the sound of your neighbor’s footsteps. Your situational awareness could be significantly affected, in other words. Can loss of hearing make you clumsy in this way? Well, sort of, loss of situational awareness can make day-to-day tasks a bit more dangerous. And that means you may be a little bit more likely to unintentionally bump into something, and have a tumble.
Part of the link between falling and hearing loss is also in your age. You’re more likely to develop progressing and permanent hearing loss. At the same time, you’re more likely to take a tumble. And when you’re older, falling can have much more severe repercussions.
How can the danger of falling be lowered by using hearing aids?
If hearing loss is part of the issue, it makes sense that hearing aids should be part of the solution. And this is being confirmed by new research. Your risk of falling could be reduced by up to 50% based on one study.
The connection between remaining on your feet and hearing loss wasn’t always this obvious. That’s to some extent because individuals often fail to wear their hearing aids. So it was inconclusive how frequently hearing aid users were having a fall. This was because individuals weren’t using their hearing aids, not because their hearing aids were malfunctioning.
The approach of this research was carried out differently and perhaps more accurately. People who used their hearing aids now and again were separated from individuals who wore them all of the time.
So how can you prevent falls by using hearing aids? They keep you less fatigued, more concentrated, and generally more vigilant. The increased situational awareness doesn’t hurt either. Many hearing aids also include a feature that can notify the authorities and family members if a fall happens. Help will arrive quicker this way.
But the trick here is to make sure you’re wearing your hearing aids often and regularly.
Prevent falls with new hearing aids
You will be able to stay close to your family members if you use hearing aids, not to mention catch up with friends.
They can also help prevent a fall!
If you want to find out more about how hearing aids could help you, schedule an appointment with us today.