Many people have misconceptions of hearing loss, especially when it comes to age. People will sometimes say, “Oh, you’re getting old because you’ve got a hearing loss.” The thing is, when people have an undiagnosed hearing loss, and they have not been evaluated, they tend to exhibit the typical symptoms of someone who is aging more so than someone using hearing aids.

Often times, people with untreated hearing loss have inappropriate responses because they can’t understand what’s being said, they can’t keep up with conversation, and end up lost in any kind of social situation. Other people can’t see hearing loss because it’s invisible. When they see someone struggling to keep up, they think it is due to some sort of cognitive impairment or early dementia.

Still, people would avoid getting hearing aids because they didn’t want to look old. That’s the way it was, especially about 20-30 years ago. But now, with the advancements and medicine and technology, the perception is changing. A lot of people don’t look at it from age standpoint. They look at it from a cognition standpoint. Research has been able to show that whenever you don’t properly diagnose and treat hearing loss, the more at-risk you are for dementia.