Steamboat Springs, CO – Hearing is your gateway to interacting with the world around you, and untreated hearing loss can lead to major unexpected health impacts. We take hearing health very seriously at hearOclub, and prioritize educating our community to facilitate healthier, happier lives.
Last week at Casey’s Pond (an Elder community in Steamboat Springs, Colorado) we spoke to the importance of hearing health and regular hearing checkups. Casey’s Pond focuses on wellness and active longevity in all levels of living, and are a member of The Eden Alternative, whose mission is to improve the well-being of Elders and their care partners by transforming the communities in which they live and work, and in part eliminate loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.
Casey’s Pond, The Eden Alternative, and hearOclub all share a common goal, and we jumped at the opportunity to educate the community on the importance of hearing health.
We first knew the event was going to be a hit when we arrived to find a unicorn at Casey’s Pond. What a fun way to kick things off!
We kicked off with a discussion around real world factors that can impact hearing. This included factors that can contribute to hearing loss, such as frequent noise exposure, genetics, injuries, and tips on how to avoid them. Also we emphasized the importance of regular hearing checkups, as most people wait 5-7 years before seeking help for their hearing loss. Waiting this long can actually impact the way that your brain functions, as your brain has to work harder to register what you are listening to. This actually steals energy needed for memory, which puts you at an increased risk for dementia.
Next, we discussed what the medical community is saying about hearing loss. Even mild hearing loss can adversely affect your cognitive capabilities, impacting home, work, and social life. Proper hearing aid use correlates with an improved outlook, mood, mobility, independence, communication, and social interaction. Also, a study by Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institute on Aging found that adults with hearing loss are “significantly more likely to develop dementia” over time than those who retain their hearing. Because of this, we emphasized that treating your hearing loss should be viewed with the same level of urgency as any other serious medical condition. It is important to get your hearing loss treated, and to continue treatment through proper care of your hearing aid – making sure it is functional, clean, and that batteries are fully charged.
Lastly, we went through a hearing health checklist.
The event was a blast, and we really enjoyed deepening our relationship with the Casey’s Pond community. We’d also like to thank the HearWellStayVital campaign for providing much of the hearing health information used in our presentation, as well as for allowing us to use some of their graphics for the event. To learn more about the importance of getting your hearing checked, make sure to check out their website: https://www.hearwellstayvital.org/
Lastly, we’d like to thank both Casey’s Pond and The Eden Alternative. To learn more about them, visit their websites below:
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