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Why hearing health matters

Many people underestimate the impact of hearing loss, thinking of it as just a sensory problem. In reality, hearing health is vital to overall health which is why it is crucial to take action to avoid negative consequences.

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20%

of people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually use one¹

4%

years is the average it takes for people with hearing loss to take action²

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The impact of hearing loss

No matter the degree of hearing loss, it can have an impact on your social, emotional, and overall well-being. It can creep up slowly, gradually affecting your ability to communicate and connect with others. It can also impact your ability to feel safe and secure in your surrounding environment, affecting your social life and participation. Health issues associated with hearing loss:

  • Less social interaction and increased loneliness³
  • Less participation in social events or activities with friends⁴
  • Increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia⁵
  • Increased risk of falls⁶
 

The three areas of hearing and well-being

Coming to terms with hearing loss can be difficult, but hearing rehabilitation can provide benefits to social-emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being.7

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Social-emotional well-being

Sometimes with hearing loss, you can feel less confident in social situations, and relationships can struggle if you need to depend on others to act as your ears. Fortunately, there are ways to address these challenges—and seeing social benefits by communicating as partners and using hearing technology.8

Cognitive well-being

Forming good habits when it comes to hearing health can have a positive impact on cognitive health.9 More frequent use of hearing aids is associated with improvements in cognitive function.10 Most older adults with hearing loss who were treated with hearing aids showed stable or even significantly improved cognitive function after just 18 months.* 11

Physical well-being

Improved balance, greater environmental awareness12, and higher activity levels13 can be a few of the physical benefits of hearing aid use. Hearing aid use is also related to increased work and social activity,  and for women, higher self-reported physical activity.14 

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Find a provider

Whether you’re looking for help with hearing loss or want to get set up with hearing aids, we can help you find a hearing care professional near you.

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Ending the stigma

Knowing the facts and prevalence of hearing loss can help alleviate the loneliness and isolation that can accompany it.

  • About 1.5 billion people around the world are affected by hearing loss—that's about 16% of the world’s population.¹⁵
  • Around 65% of people with hearing loss experience mild hearing loss, 30% moderate, and 5% severe or profound hearing loss.¹⁶ ¹⁷
  • The majority of people with hearing loss are school age or working age.¹⁸
 
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Take control of your hearing and well-being

While hearing loss can seem overwhelming, you can feel assured that there are solutions available to improve speech understanding. Regardless of hearing ability or age, Phonak’s advanced technology is designed to get you or your loved ones back to living life to the fullest.

Explore hearing solutions

Footnotes

* In a study of older adults with hearing loss who were treated with hearing aids, a majority showed stable or even significantly improved cognitive function after just 18 months. More frequent hearing aid use was correlated with greater improvement in executive functioning skills

1. World Report on Hearing, 2021. Accessible via World Report on Hearing (who.int)

2. MarkeTrak 11, 2022 https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/research/marketrak-2022-navigating-the-changing-landscape-hearing-healthcare 

3. Kramer, S.E., Kapteyn, T.S., Kuik, D.J., & Deeg, D.J.H. (2002). The association of hearingimpairment and chronic diseases with psychosocial health status in olderage. Journal of Aging and Health, 14(1), 122–137 

4. Vas, V., Akeroyd, M. A., & Hall, D. A. (2017). A data-driven synthesis of research evidence for domains of hearing loss, as reported by adults with hearing loss andtheir communication partners. Trends in Hearing, 21 

5. Loughrey, D.G., Kelly, M.E., Kelley, G.A., Brennan, S., & Lawlor, B. A. (2018). Association of Age-Related Hearing Loss With Cognitive Function, Cognitive Impairment,and Dementia. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 144(2), 115-126 

6. Jiam, N.T.-L., Li, C., & Agrawal, Y. (2016). Hearing loss and falls: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Laryngoscope, 126(11), 2587–2596 

7. Vercammen, C., Ferguson, M., Kramer, S.E., Meis, M., Singh, G., Timmer, B., Gagné, J-P., Goy, H., Hickson, L., Holube, I., Launer, S., Lemke, U., Naylor, G., Picou, E., Scherpiet,S., Weinstein, B., & Pelosi, A. (2020). Well-Hearing is Well-Being: A Phonak Position Statement. Hearing Review, 27, 18-22. 

8. Ferguson, M.A., Kitterick, P.T., Chong, L.Y., Edmondson-Jones, M., Barker, F., Hoare, D.J. (2017). Hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss in adults. Cochrane Database of System Revue, 9. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012023Kamil, R.J. & Lin, F.R. (2015). The Effects of Hearing Impairment in Older Adults on Communication Partners: A Systematic Review. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 26/2, 155-182 (28). https://doi.org/10.3766/jaaa.26.2.6

9. Karawani, H., Jenkins, K., & Anderson, S. (2018). Restoration of sensory input may improve cognitive and neural function. Neuropsychologia, 114, 203–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.041 

10. Sarant, J., Harris, D., Busby, P., Maruff, P., Schembri, A., Lemke, U. & Launer, S. (2020). The effect of hearing aid use on cognition in older adults: Can we delay decline or even improve cognitive function? Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9, 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9010254. 

11. Sarant, J., Harris, D., Busby, P., et al. (2020). The effect of hearing aid use on cognition in older adults: Can we delay decline or even improve cognitive function? Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(1), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9010254

12. Negahban, H., Bavarsad Cheshmeh Ali, M., & Nassadj,G. (2017). Effect of hearing aids on static balance function in elderly with hearing loss. Gait Posture, 58:126-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.07.112

Rumalla, K., Karim, A.M. & Hullar, T.E (2015). The effect of hearing aids on postural stability. Laryngoscope, 125(3), 720-723. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.24974   

Vitkovic, J., Le, C., Lee, S.L. & Clark, R.A (2016). The Contribution of Hearing and Hearing Loss to Balance Control. Audiol Neurotol, 21(4),195-202. https://doi.org/10.1159/000445100

13. Dawes, P., Cruickshanks, K. J., Fischer, M. E., Klein, B. E. K., Klein, R., & Nondahl, D. M. (2015). Hearing-aid use and long-term health outcomes: Hearing handicap, mental health, social engagement, cognitive function, physical health, and mortality. Int J Audiol, 54(11), 838–844. https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2015.1059503

14. Holman, J. A., Hornsby, B. W. Y. , Bess, F. H., & Naylor, G. (2021). Can listening-related fatigue influence well-being? Examining associations between hearing loss, fatigue, activity levels and well-being, International Journal of Audiology, DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2020.1853261 

15. World Health Organization. (2021). World report on hearing. Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved March 8th, 2021. from, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/world-report-on-hearing 

16. Carr, K. (2020). 20Q: Consumer Insights on Hearing Aids, PSAPs, OTC Devices, and More from MarkeTrak 10. Audiology Online. Retrieved March 25, 2021 from https://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/20q-understanding-today-s-consumers-26648

17. Ehima. (2020). Hearing Aids improve Hearing - and a LOT more. Trends derived from the EuroTrak databases 2009 – 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021 from https://www.ehima.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EuroTrak-Trends-2009-2020-June-2020.pdf

18. Jorgensen, L., & Novak, M. (2020). Factors Influencing Hearing Aid Adoption. Seminars in hearing, 41(1), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1701242