ADVERTORIALHEARING LOSS & THE RISK OF FALLSIf you’re an older adult — or care for someone who is — falling is likely to be high on your list of worries. And rightfully so, according to the National Council on Aging:
• Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in an emergency room for a fall-related injury.
• Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older adults
Hearing and balance impairments as well as falls are common among older people, and they may correlate, first, because hearing provides acoustic information about the environment, enabling us to notice and avoid environmental hazards that may lead to a fall. Second, the structure and function of the inner ear suggest that they may share etiological factors in common. Hearing and vestibular (balance) organs are anatomically closely localized, share fluid-filled bony compartments and blood circulation, are both served by the eighth cranial nerve, and have similar mechanosensory receptor hair cells, which detect sound, head movements, and orientation in space. Loss of these receptor cells can occur in the cochlea (hearing organ) and vestibular (balance) organ through a degenerative aging process but also through a variety of insults, including exposure to ototoxic drugs (medications that damage our ears) and noise.
In an interesting study by CUNY Graduate Center on December 18, 2013 indicated that older women with poor hearing acuity had higher risk for falls than those with good hearing acuity and that higher fall risk was partially explained by their poorer postural control.
There were a number of reasons for this, including the fact that good hearing acuity helps in spatial orientation and avoiding environmental hazards that may lead to a fall. Also, compared with younger people, older people have to allocate a greater proportion of their attention to maintaining their balance during common daily activities, such as walking. Impaired hearing may place additional demands on attention sharing and thus further increase fall risk. Another factor to consider is that it is possible that poor hearing leads to a vicious circle where poor hearing may decrease participation in various activities, and this, in turn, may accelerate the disablement process and increase fall risk.
This study in particular shows that people with poorer hearing were at three- to fourfold higher risk for falls compared with people with good hearing. Adjustment for postural balance decreased the risk markedly, but still, people with poorer hearing were at twofold risk for falls. Part of the increased risk for falls is explained by poorer postural control among those with poorer hearing acuity.
Hearing impairments are mainly considered to be communication disorders, but deficits in hearing may have more wide-ranging consequences than difficulties in conversation. Poor hearing may increase the risk for falls and injuries, thus having a direct effect on disability. Poor hearing may also reduce activity and participation, leading eventually to an inactive way of life and decreased quality of life. Primary and secondary prevention of hearing loss should be a priority when aiming to promote health and well-being among older people.
In summary, nearly 40% of people who live at home after reaching the age of 65 will fall at least once a year.
Accidental falls pose a significant health risk to older adults. They often lead to a loss of independence, and can abruptly alter the course of one’s life.
People with mild hearing loss are three times more likely to have a history of falling than peers with normal hearing.
This correlation between hearing loss, aging and falling is one reason why Starkey designed the world’s first hearing aid with a fall detection feature. The odds of having hearing loss and falling increase as we age, so having a single device that can help with multiple aging issues — as opposed to a different device for each — is significantly more convenient and beneficial for users.
If you are considering purchasing a device that is worn around the arm or neck which notifies family members or caregivers of a fall, and using a different device for hearing – then it would be appropriate to consider one device that does both! During typical, daily activities and instances of falls, muscles in the neck work with the balance system of the inner ear to protect and stabilize the head. Since hearing aids are worn on the head, they are naturally less prone to mistake daily activities for falls than the devices worn on other parts of the body.
So how does it work?
• The hearing aid wearer selects up to three contacts to be notified if they fall.
• They (or their hearing professional) can enter contacts easily into the Thrive Hearing app.
• The auto alert feature automatically sends an alert to the contact(s) if the hearing aid wearer falls.
• The alert contains the GPS location of the wearer.
• The contact can then immediately call the wearer back to check on them or otherwise get them help.
• The manual alert feature allows the wearer to simply tap their hearing aid to send an alert for a fall or nonfall related event.
If you are concerned about your balance, then a diagnostic assessment can be performed by an audiologist who is set up with the appropriate balance testing equipment. If you are concerned even with the mildest of hearing losses, do not delay in attending to it because it can significantly affect your quality of life, as well as reduce your risk of falling.
You are so welcome to make an appointment by contacting my rooms on (031) 208 1014 / (032) 586 1179, or sending through an email to: ballito@thaudiology.co.za / admin@ thaudiology.co.za and I will gladly hold your hands and walk you through this journey of sound together!
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