Vertigo and Balance Issues are often a symptom that causes a person to feel like they or the world around them is spinning or moving, even when they are not. Other symptoms of auditory neuropathy are hearing loss and tinnitus.
Vertigo and Balance Issues are often an early warning sign of damage to the auditory system, often referred to as auditory neuropathy. Other symptoms of auditory neuropathy include hearing loss and tinnitus. Treating your hearing loss, tinnitus, or balance symptoms can reduce your risk of falling.
Vertigo and Balance Issues Require Fast Action
Hearing health seems to be one of the areas of our overall health that gets pushed aside until later. We procrastinate, thinking our hearing evaluation can be pushed off until next week, next month, next year. In fact, the average adult waits up to 7 years to schedule an appointment after noticing difficulty with hearing. This can have lasting effects, including a major fall.
Stage 1 sensorineural hearing loss typically happens over time and can be gradual and painless. It may feel as though people around you are mumbling or like your ears are plugged (kind of the same as after you’ve had a nice swim in the pool). If you have trouble hearing when there is a lot of background noise, you probably have a mild hearing loss. Do you find that you are listening more carefully to conversations? Do you expend extra energy to understand what is being said? All of this is attributed to a stage 1 hearing loss and can lead to fatigue and other costly ailments. If you can relate to any of the above, it’s time to catch it early and treat it early.
One of those costly ailments we need to talk about this month is the risk of falling with hearing loss. Most of us remember a time when we would (literally) fall down and get right back up. But this doesn’t seem to be the case as we get older. Falling can be one of the most devastating events in an adult’s life and can lead to the loss of independence, or worse. In the past decade, the ‘fall death rate’ (i.e., the death of an older adult directly attributed to a fall) has risen over 30%, and in the next decade it is estimated that there will be seven fall deaths per hour in the U.S. Many adults assume feeling off-balance and falling is a normal part of aging, but it is not.
There is not one simple reason that older adults fall more often, rather a complicated web of changes in blood pressure, nutrition, medication interactions, vision problems and hearing loss that contribute to this increased risk. Although most people don’t instantly think of hearing loss as being a leading cause of falls, the data is clear - a person’s risk of falling can increase by 140-500% with hearing loss (depending on the severity of the loss). Fortunately, we have the tools and partners like PreventingDecline.com to treat our patients and help them dramatically reduce their risk of falling.
Practical Solutions for Safety From Falls
First and foremost is to treat your hearing loss! The price of a fall is much more expensive than treating your hearing loss. Fact: more than 3 million people per year are treated for fall-related injuries, and over $30 billion is spent per year in Medicare and individual costs. That’s alarming!
Once you are working with one of our audiologists in Arizona, there are certain steps you can take to prevent falls.
- Fall-proof your home. Remove clutter, throw rugs, items on stairs, pet toys, electrical cords, etc.
- For nighttime, use nightlights to see better. Keep lamps at your bedside. Install handrails, keep frequently used items within reach.
- For showers, use anti-slip mats, install grab bars, use a shower/tub chair.
- Stay active. Keep your muscles and joints healthy to help with good balance.
- Use a cane, walker or wheelchair when needed.
- Wear low heals and/or sensible shoes that have good support.
- When standing or sitting up, take a minute and go slow. Dizziness can cause falls.
Falls are a serious matter! We want you to live a full and active life without the fear of falling. Please stay vigilant, modify your home, continue to exercise, and increase your awareness of risks and prevention. You can live a confident, social, and happy life as you age.
For more information, please make an appointment with your audiologist today or contact us here!
Until next month, we remain your partner in hearing health care and fall prevention…
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