OCALA, Fla. — By 2050, dementia is expected to affect 150 million people worldwide.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
But there are simple ways to prevent some of those cases, such as improving someone’s hearing.
A simple doctor’s visit can make all the difference.
Judy Pliska listens to every word Dr. Evans Pemba, with Ocala Hears Audiology, says regarding her hearing.
Having treated her for years, their patient-doctor relationship is more of a friendship.
Read: What is dementia?: Signs, symptoms
Like any good friend, Pemba wants to ensure she’s in good health and her hearing aids are working correctly.
“We are going to clean them and check them,” he said. “We are going to change the filter, and then we will put them in my special machine.”
This is a must-do, especially after the latest study published in the Lancet Medical Journal, which found people with hearing loss who do not use hearing aids are more likely to develop dementia.
“The average person takes about seven years from the time they discover they have hearing loss to the time they decide to do something about it,” Pemba said.
Read: New Florida law aims to improve relationship between law enforcement, people with disabilities
He said he’s seen firsthand how hearing loss and dementia are linked in his patients, even before the study was released.
“We hear with our brain, so if that brain is not getting adequate simulation, sound simulation, it is subject to atrophy,” Pemba said.
“I needed hearing aids as a child, I didn’t get them until 12 years ago,” Pliska said.
The study discovered that hearing aids can reduce the risk of dementia in older adults by almost 50%. The study also says up to 8% of dementia cases could be prevented with proper hearing loss management.
Read: Here are 9 signs of hearing loss
The margins are higher in the Sunshine State. Florida has the second-highest number of people with Alzheimer’s in the nation, with an estimated 12.5% of Floridians 65 and older with the disease.
That’s close to 600,000 people.
Hearing aids are now available over the counter in the U.S., which might make hearing loss treatment more affordable and attainable for many Americans.
But still, see your doctor if you are experiencing severe hearing loss. Doctors like Pemba can check if there is a physical problem like too much ear wax. He might suggest a hearing test or a pair of customized hearing aids.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group
