We rely on our senses to have a positive quality of life.
We touch to feel connected,
we smell to be familiar,
we speak to be heard,
we hear to understand,
and we see to experience.
With the new year, we want you to be 20/20 clear about the effects of hearing loss on overall health and quality of life. When hearing loss is paired with the deterioration of another sense, it has an even bigger impact.
Having a dual sensory loss with both vision and hearing loss begins to take a toll on daily activities. Our patients at Center for Hearing Care often start to notice more difficulty understanding conversation, but their hearing evaluation has no documented changes, and we find out that they have started to lose vision. Our senses work together to maximize communication, and a reduction in one often affects another. Individuals with dual sensory loss tend to isolate themselves more than individuals with a singular sensory loss and depression rates tend to be higher as they are not able to engage in socialization as much as they would hope.
If you know someone that may be experiencing dual sensory loss, or if you’re noticing how this may be impacting yourself, please reach out to us for help. If you wear hearing aids, make sure you are coming in for regular device maintenance and ear checks so we can keep you hearing at your best!
Dr. Danielle Hoenig