Hearing loss can increase a person’s risk for dementia by up to five times

By Patricia Nugent

With a mix of passion and compassion, the doctors at Advanced Audiology Concepts The Hearing Center in Mentor are the hometown choice for helping people live their best lives by detecting hearing loss and coming up with proactive plans customized to each patient to address it.

“Hearing loss often occurs slowly over time like a dimmer switch,” says Dr. Jane Kukula, who founded the center in 2000 after working with a downtown Cleveland children’s rehab hospital for many years. “It’s important to diagnose hearing loss properly and professionally, as it could be caused by something simple like ear wax buildup.”

Hearing Loss and Dementia
“While there have been numerous studies over the years that show the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, a recent one stated that hearing loss is the number one mitigatable risk for dementia,” says Dr. Jane. “Scientists have found it can increase your chances of dementia by up to five times. The two are connected because when your hearing goes, the part of the brain that enables the signals you receive through hearing becomes inactive and declines.”

In addition to its link to brain decline, hearing loss also increases a person’s fall risk and related ER visits.

“Since hearing loss is connected to issues such as diabetes and kidney disease, like a canary in a coal mine, getting your hearing tested can be an indicator for your overall health,” she adds. “It also reduces a person’s socialization, which is connected to your ability to thrive.”

When to Get Tested
Dr. Jane recommends everyone has a baseline screening by the time they turn 40.

“This gives us a chart of your hearing we can use as comparison going forward,” she says.

During the comprehensive one-hour test, the doctors will:
• Go over your health history, identifying potentially related health factors to hearing loss.
• Perform an otoscopic evaluation of the ear, ear canal and ear drum.
• Through tympanometry, examine the flexibility of the ear drum to changing air pressures.
• Test the acoustic reflexes of the middle ear drum.
• Measure the softest volume an ear can perceive to create a graph, which is the audiogram.
• Perform a test to differentiate a nerve loss problem between the nerves in the inner ear and further out after the nerves leave the ear.

“After the data is collected and level of loss is diagnosed, we can go forward with a care plan, which may include hearing aids, if needed,” she says.

Technological Advancements
“The two main areas of advancement over the past several years are that now most hearing aids are rechargeable, so you don’t need to bother with batteries,” she says. “Bluetooth connectivity, which allows us to make adjustments remotely, creates clearer quality of sound and for people to stream directly from their televisions and cellphones.”

The research that’s gone into improving the quality of hearing in specific settings, such as talking on the telephone, has come a long way, too.

“It’s changed the lives of those who could no longer talk on the phone by giving them back easy phone conversations,” she says.

The Friendliest Team in Town
Dr. Jane says she’s delighted with the number of patients who compliment her on their staff.

“People tell us they feel comfortable, relaxed and well taken care of by our friendly team, which has worked together for a long time,” she says.

Joining Dr. Jane are audiologists Dr. Kimberly Gill and Dr. Kristina Bowdrie.

“Dr. Bowdrie worked with us back when she was a student getting her doctorate, so we have a history together,” says Dr. Jane.

Advanced Audiology Concepts is located at 8897 Mentor Avenue in Mentor. Some insurances and Medicare Advantage Plans will cover the cost of hearing aids. Call the office to set up an audiogram to see how healthy your hearing is, 440-205-8848, or visit AAChear.org, for more information.