Why wearing hearing aids at home is important

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This post originally appeared on Starkey.com

It’s no secret that hearing aids are invaluable when it comes to communicating with others and gaining greater awareness when you’re out and about. But what if you choose to stay home or simply don’t have anywhere you need to be? Do you still need to put on your hearing aids?

The answer—absolutely.

Wearing your hearing aids at home, even if you’re by yourself, is important because it can help you:

ACCLIMATE TO HEARING AIDS FASTER

Wearing your hearing aids around your household is especially helpful if you have just started wearing them. Keeping your devices in as much as possible each day allows your brain to get used to those everyday sounds you haven’t heard in a while, including minor background noises like your refrigerator humming or clock ticking.

These sounds can seem overwhelming at first. But the more you wear your hearing aids, the more natural the sounds will feel—and the easier it will be to tune them out.

KEEP YOUR BRAIN ACTIVE

Even if you’re simply exercising your right to enjoy a quiet day at home, wearing your hearing aids can be highly beneficial to your cognitive health. How? By keeping your brain engaged and processing sound.

This is a good thing, according to research: In one study, renowned hearing expert Dr. Frank Lin and researchers from Johns Hopkins examined 639 participants with untreated hearing loss over the course of 12 years.

What they found:

  • Adults with mild hearing loss were 2 times more likely to develop dementia than peers without.

  • Adults with moderate hearing loss were 3 times more likely to develop dementia than peers without.

  • Adults with severe hearing loss were 5 times more likely to develop dementia than peers without. 

These findings underscore not only the prominent link between hearing loss and cognitive decline, but also how necessary it is to look after your hearing. Even if it’s just incidental sounds, like the whisper of your furnace or birds chirping out the window, your brain stays active by processing sound for you.

So, it’s a win-win: You’re not only hearing better again, but also taking a preventative measure against dementia.

MAINTAIN YOUR SAFETY

Donning your hearing devices at home is one of the best things you can do to uphold the safety of yourself and others. Hearing your best makes it easier to hear emergency sounds like smoke alarms or sirens, along with everyday important sounds like an oven timer.

Wearing hearing aids has also been shown to reduce your risk of falls by 30%. This is especially significant given the startling statistic that 1 in 4 older adults will fall each year in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, research has found that most falls occur in the home.

But if by chance you do experience a fall, Starkey’s latest hearing aids, Genesis AI, help to keep you safe: They can sense if you fall, and then have the My Starkey app alert the loved one or caregiver of your choice in the event you need help.

ENJOY STAYING CONNECTED

Obviously, today’s hearing aids are essential for communicating with any loved ones at home with you—but did you know they can also connect you to the outside world, right from your armchair? By easily pairing them with your smartphone, tablet, TV, and more, you can stream audio straight to your hearing aids.

It’s never been easier—or more enjoyable—to:

  • Stay in touch with people you care about by streaming calls (video or audio).

  • Delight in your favorite music on repeat.

  • Keep up with the news at the volume that’s best for you.

  • And so on.

So, whenever you decide to “hunker down” at home, remember that keeping up your hearing aid use is key to maintaining your best hearing, overall health, and quality of life.

Are your hearing aids not working? Want to find a hearing test near you? Visit Land of Lincoln Hearing to learn more about your hearing health. Make an appointment today!