Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline And Dementia

The purpose of this paper is to consider and appropriately determine the undeviating correlation of hearing loss to dementia. Hearing loss is a prevalent, multifaceted issue that many individuals struggle with, especially the elderly population. Furthermore, one of the many negative consequences that these individual’s battle with is the inevitable cognitive decline that accompanies hearing loss. Many studies and clinical trials give rise to awareness and implication of cognitive decline linked to a progressive hearing loss. Such fundamental quantitative data provides sufficient evidence to validate the increasing correspondence of dementia and hearing loss as well as provide critical knowledge to the public eye.

The term ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood changes and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by certain conditions and diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. 
Age is the greatest risk factor for dementia. Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80. However, dementia is not restricted to older people: in the UK, there are over 17,000 people under the age of 65 with dementia, although this figure is likely to be an underestimate.

Long-term noise exposure is an example; this is due to the damage that the noise exposure can have on the sensory hair cells. Sensory hair cells are what allow you to hear and if damaged the ability to hear is reduced and these hair cells do not grow back. As Colin was a car mechanic this meant he will have been in contact and close proximity to loud equipment and machinery daily, this could have had a detrimental effect to his hearing and prevented him from hearing Mary. Other environmental factors include ototoxic drugs, genetic factors and cell damage and neural degeneration which are common effects of aging. Ototoxic drugs can effect hearing as they can damage the inner ear including the hair cells and also the auditory nerve, this is important as it carries the sound information to the

Dementia is more likely to develop as people get older; it is also thought that it may be hereditary and that there is a link between different genes. Dementia is not a normal process of getting old. It is caused by diseases that affect the brain and kill brain cells. Research is starting to show that there may be other risk factors that are influenced by our lifestyles and health conditions. It is thought that there may be a link between serious head injury and the future risk of dementia so it is important to protect your head.

The parietal lobe of the brain if affected by dementia affects language skills. This means that communication skills could be reduced. The person may not be able to ‘find’ the appropriate words to use, or may not understand questions asked of them. They may not relate ‘words’ to the correct ‘objects’ for instance if they pick up a cup, but call it a ‘pot’.

3. Humans are born with approximately 10,000 taste buds. After the age of 50, seniors can begin to lose taste buds. Additionally, many seniors lose their sense of smell. This can make enjoying food and getting enough calories difficult for some elderly.

Hearing loss is one of the most common ailments faced by American seniors. In fact, nearly 36 million seniors have at least some hearing loss, with the majority of those individuals being more than 65 years of age. On the surface, the consequences of hearing loss may seem to be about the loss of a physical sense. In reality, the actual loss of hearing is the least of a senior's concerns.

Dementia is reported that it doubles every five years after the age of 65. The cognitive decrease related with dementia affects an individual’s capacity to understand and produce capability information. In addition, behavioral issues that grow as a outcome of the neuropathology such as repetitiousness, hallucinations, and paranoia may interfere with communicating with others. The likelihood of suffering from dementia increases with age. It mostly occurs in the second half of life. One is at a risk after the age of 65 to develop dementia. It usually progresses slowly. Dementia is mostly related with the older adult

There are various types of dementia that are caused by different things. As stated above, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common case of dementia, though the cause of

Quadagno (2014) discusses ways cognitive abilities differ from young-adults, middle-old adults and oldest old adults. Cognitive decline can also be affected by conditions such as stroke, depression, diabetes, auditory, and vision problems. Older adults may also encounter age related cognitive decline in their daily lives. Cognitive abilities such as processing speed, episodic memory, working memory and dual task processing are abilities that researchers are aiming to improve in older adults (Basak, et al, 2008; Quadagno, 2014).

A topic I learned more of this semester in regards to the older population was dementia. Some loss in memory function is an inevitable consequence of aging, and as one ages, it takes more time to process information and retrieve memories. However, "Dementia is a general term that refers to progressive, degenerative brain dysfunction, including deterioration in memory, concentration, language skills, visuospatial skills, and reasoning, that interferes with a person's daily functioning" (Mauk, 2014, p. 377). This loss of mental skills affects the ability to function over time, causing problems with memory and how one thinks, impacting these individual's overall quality of life.

Age is the most common factor in increasing hearing loss. About 30 percent of people between 65 and 74 experience some difficulty in hearing. That percentage and the severity of the loss increase with age.

Many studies have been broad, studying the vocabulary, reasoning, memory, and speed of the person, but zoning in on one thing specific may lead to further understanding. Studying the effects of cognitive aging in relation to memory possibly will open so many more areas of study. Studying specific age groups could also be helpful when attempting to understand cognitive aging as a whole. Learning about how speed, memory, vocabulary, and reasoning all work within a child, 10-15 years old, might be helpful when comparing that data to that information of an adult. between 50-60 years

As age increases, we can expect some loss of heart, lung, joint, and sexual functioning. Some loss of brain cells and mental efficiency is a normal part of

Aging is one thing that everybody dreads but cannot avoid, no matter how hard they try. The aging process of the brain starts happening when a person is in their late 20’s. This starts happening slowing, but it increases as your age increases. Around the ages 60 to 70, the mass of the brain declines, or shrinks. This causes some memory loss and it becomes hard to retain new knowledge. When adults reach the age 70, recalling names can become more difficult. It is simple stuff like this that can become more difficult that it was in a person’s younger years. Hearing also plays a major role in cognitive functions of the brain. If the person does not hear you clearly, it will not mean anything to them and they will disregard what you said. It’s