Older adults concerned about displaying early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease should also consider a hearing check-up, suggest recent findings.
Older adults concerned about displaying early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease should also consider a hearing check-up, suggest recent findings.
What might appear to be signs of memory loss could actually point to hearing issues, says Dr. Susan Vandermorris, one of the study’s authors and a clinical neuropsychologist at Baycrest.
A recent Baycrest study, published in the Canadian Journal on Aging, found that the majority (56 per cent) of participants being evaluated for memory and thinking concerns and potential brain disorders had some form of mild to severe hearing loss, but only about 20 per cent of individuals used hearing aids. Among the participants, a quarter of them did not show any signs of memory loss due to a brain disorder.
“We commonly see clients who are worried about Alzheimer’s disease because their partner complains that they don’t seem to pay attention, they don’t seem to listen or they don’t remember what is said to them,” says Dr. Vandermorris. “Sometimes addressing hearing loss may mitigate or fix what looks like a memory issue. An individual isn’t going to remember something said to them if they didn’t hear it properly.”
Read more at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Image: This is an older adult trying on a hearing aid. (Credit Baycrest)
