Did you know that one out of every four older people fall each year – but less than half of them actually tell their doctor what happened?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falling just once doubles your chance of falling again, and one out of five falls causes serious injury. While many people fall due to frailty in the body or tripping over their feet, there’s also a link to your vestibular functions causing falls, too.
According to this study by Joseph Sakamura, Au.D., and Richard Gans, PhD, cognitive, vestibular, and auditory functions are all closely related and may play a significant role in fall risk management. Through improving these functions, your fall risk decreases.
A quote from this study caught my eye:
“Hearing loss is recognized as the number one modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. Furthermore, patients with even mild cognitive impairment in domains of; visuo-spatial processing, executive function, memory recall, and reaction times are 14 times more likely to have degraded postural stability and elevated fall risk.”
A quote from this study caught my eye:
Hearing loss is recognized as the number one modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. Furthermore, patients with even mild cognitive impairment in domains of; visuo-spatial processing, executive function, memory recall, and reaction times are 14 times more likely to have degraded postural stability and elevated fall risk.
Basically, hearing loss plays a large role in cognitive decline, which can lead to an increased fall risk. However, there’s a very easy solution: professional hearing care, including hearing assessments, balance testing, and hearing assistive technology, can help you feel steadier on your feet once more.
Hearing evaluations and technology are a large part of our advanced hearing care work – it’s reassuring to see studies like these coming out. These studies that spread awareness of the importance of proper hearing care not only show its importance but could also potentially save lives.
How Can Hearing Care Help Me from Falling?
Auditory and vestibular functions refer to your hearing – the delicate muscles and bones of your inner ear that work in tandem to help you hear the world around you. These functions are also directly linked to your balance.
Your ears help figure out your orientation via movement detected in the vestibular system; when the vestibular system is damaged, it can cause imbalance and dizziness, which will lead to falls if not properly looked after.
If you’re concerned about your balance, never fear: our audiologist team is Louisiana’s leading balance specialists. We’re more than happy to help diagnose your condition and offer solutions that work best with you and what your health needs most.
Safeguarding Your Hearing and Balance with Acadian Hearing
If you’re concerned about your or a loved one’s hearing or balance, you’re in the right place. We’re here to help with any questions you have or even just to give advice on what to do with your unique circumstances.
Please feel free to request a callback and we’ll get in touch for a no-obligation conversation with more information. If you don’t want to wait, you can call us at (337) 436-3277.
