Valley Hearing Aid Associates

11/13/2025

Clear hearing supports your brain by keeping you engaged in conversations and everyday activities. Staying mentally active and protecting your hearing go hand in hand for overall cognitive health.

11/11/2025

How do you know if “loud” is too loud? 📱

Decibel meter apps can help you measure noise levels in your surroundings and protect your hearing.

Both free and paid options are available for iPhone, Android, and Apple Watch users.

Check out our roundup of some of the best apps in 2025 to help keep your ears safe! 👂
https://ow.ly/4nOR50XpBVk

11/10/2025

Hearing loss can make chatting with friends or family more tiring, and it’s easy to start skipping social activities. Paying attention to your hearing helps you stay involved and enjoy those moments without extra effort.

A new study finds that providing hearing aids and personalized audiology support helps older adults maintain better social connections.

11/05/2025

This month, for National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, don’t overlook your hearing. Untreated hearing loss can affect brain health and increase the risk of cognitive decline.

Cochlear Center director Frank R. Lin explains why hearing loss has been linked to cognitive issues like dementia.

10/31/2025

Hearing health and dementia are closely linked — in fact, untreated hearing loss is one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline later in life. Here’s how the connection works and what can be done to protect your brain and hearing together:

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🔗 The Connection Between Hearing Loss and Dementia
1. Cognitive Load:
When you can’t hear clearly, your brain works harder to decode muffled or incomplete sounds. This constant effort diverts mental resources from memory, thinking, and comprehension — contributing to faster cognitive fatigue and decline.
2. Social Isolation:
Hearing loss often leads people to withdraw from conversations and social activities. Over time, this isolation reduces mental stimulation — a known contributor to dementia risk.
3. Brain Structure Changes:
MRI studies show that untreated hearing loss can cause accelerated shrinkage in auditory and memory-related brain areas, such as the hippocampus.

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📊 Key Research Findings
• Johns Hopkins (Lin et al.):
Adults with even mild hearing loss have twice the risk of developing dementia. Moderate loss triples the risk, and severe loss increases it fivefold.
• Hearing Aid Use Helps:
Studies show that people who treat hearing loss with properly fitted hearing aids or in-ear devices have cognitive decline rates similar to those with normal hearing.

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🧠 Protecting Hearing and Brain Health
1. Get a Hearing Test After Age 50 (or sooner if you notice difficulty in conversation).
2. Use Hearing Protection:
Prevent noise-induced damage with custom in-ear protection (like TACTICAL HEARING systems) for work, recreation, and loud environments.
3. Stay Socially Engaged:
Hearing clearly keeps you active in conversations and connected with others — vital for brain resilience.
4. Keep the Brain Stimulated:
Reading, learning new skills, and regular exercise all complement hearing health to protect cognition.

10/29/2025

Understand how your ears pick up tiny creaks and whispers that signal when something spooky is nearby.

10/23/2025

Choose hearing protection based on comfort, noise level and how long you’ll wear it. Some styles fit certain situations better than others. https://bit.ly/3xmYzAi

10/20/2025

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common causes of hearing loss—right alongside aging.

Loud workplaces, concerts, sporting events, or even hobbies like woodworking or using power tools can all put your ears at risk. And it’s not just adults—children and teens who use headphones or attend loud events can be affected, too.

The good news? NIHL is preventable. Protect your hearing by using earplugs or earmuffs and limiting your time around loud noise whenever possible.

If you notice ringing in your ears or any trouble hearing after noise exposure, it’s a good idea to see a hearing care specialist for a checkup. https://ow.ly/VTP350Xf7kE

10/19/2025

Hearing aids are small—and easy to misplace or lose without realizing it.

If that happens, try using a hearing aid tracker app, retrace your steps, and follow a few prevention tips to lower your risk in the future.

And if your device is lost or broken, a nearby hearing specialist can help you replace it and get you hearing clearly again.

Read our full article for helpful tracking suggestions and prevention tips: https://ow.ly/ykvx50XenpW

10/16/2025

Protecting your ears does not have to be complicated. Try these seven easy tips to help prevent hearing loss.

Summa Health offers 7 ways you can take steps now to protect your hearing and reduce your risk for hearing loss later in life