People 65 or older commonly fall. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one out of four older adults falls each year. These falls often result in emergency room visits, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, hospitalizations or even death. In fact, death rates for the elderly from falling increased 30 percent from 2007 to 2016. In addition, falls total more than $50 billion each year in medical costs.  Falling also creates a heavy emotional burden for the elderly. They fear falling because of the risk of injury, but also because of embarrassment and the desire to remain independent. They might limit excursions and social activities because of this fear, which results in physical decline and social isolation.

Hearing loss can increase the risk of falling

Research from Johns Hopkins University found that even mild hearing loss can increase the risk of falling by three times. With more extensive hearing loss, that risk of falling only increases. There are a few reasons hearing loss increases the risk of falling.

• Reduced awareness of one’s immediate environment is one aspect. (such as not hearing another person approaching)
• At the same time, difficulty hearing puts greater strain on the brain. The increased cognitive load can result in fewer cognitive resources to maintain balance and gait.

Hearing aids using sound information

When properly fitted with hearing aids, you become more in tune with your environment and less susceptible to falling. Meanwhile, improved hearing can prevent the cognitive overload caused by hearing loss. Hearing aids also help you distinguish subtle sounds and their direction.  For instance, a hearing aid wearer can better hear another person or a pet approaching and reduce the chance of falling due to a surprise collision or by tripping over them. A study by Washington University School of Medicine found that hearing aids do more than just increase alertness. When instructed to perform balance tests with and without hearing aids, participants maintained better balance when wearing the hearing aids. This suggests that participants with hearing aids use sound information as auditory reference points to maintain balance, similar to how we use visual cues.