Keeping your senses sharp - Hearing aids and cataract surgery

[packman]

Cognitive decline is something that happens to all of us as we age, to varying degrees. But new research is showing that taking care of your eyes and ears as you age could help keep your brain sharp for longer than previously thought.

The joint study from the University of Michigan in the U.S. and the University of Manchester in the U.K. found that by simply by wearing hearing aids, the rate of cognitive decline was reduced by 75%.

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Likewise, cataract surgery can slow cognitive decline by 50%, according to a separate study performed by the same team as the hearing study

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"Social isolation is a huge part of hearing loss, and people will notice their loved ones withdrawing from conversation, or not going to family or social functions like they used to."

That social isolation can kick-start a hastening spiral of loneliness that fuels further cognitive decline. In fact, loneliness is a more accurate predictor of early death than obesity, so watch out for reclusive signs in your loved ones and yourself. There's also plenty of evidence to show that feeling old and resigning yourself to aging is what actually ages you prematurely

...........
On a personal note, had cataract surgery several years ago and it has made a world of difference. Now, if I could get that annoying voice out of my life every time I hear a Republican, it would be delightful


https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/taking-care-of-your-hearing-and-vision-slows-cognitive-decline-by-50-75

[tblue37]

1. But hearing aids are very expensive. My digital aids cost $4200 for the pair--and

insurance doesn't cover them.

[packman]

2. I agree with you - Only advice is to shop around

My wife is in need of hearing aids and we are looking for the least expensive that will do the job. I don't want to sound ghoulish, but when my mother-in-law died she had a set of very expensive hearing aids that were donated to a charity. The Lions Club does this and is just one of them.

[rurallib]

3. This video with Robert Reich and Elizabeth Warren says a change may be a-coming soon

on hearing aids.

I was looking for something else and stumbled on this. Watch the first 7 minutes or so. Sounds like monopolies may be busted and prices dropped next year:

[Jim Lane]

4. I got mine at Costco, $1900 for the pair

OK, add in $55 for the Costco membership, but I pick up some other stuff at reduced prices whenever I go there to have the hearing aids serviced.

This is not some garbage-y downmarket hearing aid. An audiology center near me offered me essentially the same product for $5100.

Not every Costco has a hearing aid center, but people who can get to one that does will save a lot.

I'm very happy with the product. Whether it has arrested my cognitive decline is a subject on which opinions may differ.

[UTUSN]

5. Advances are amazing. When My grandmother had cataract surgery in the 1950s

it was a big deal. She was blind then she wasn't.