What happens if your hearing is permanently impaired?

Not being able to hear well can have many causes. Most people are affected by some form of hearing loss as they get older. This not only affects the ability to understand and communicate, but can also manifest itself in many aspects of life.

Not hearing means loneliness

One of the most important consequences of hearing loss is increasing isolation. Those affected find it difficult to follow conversations and take part in social events. This is also often the case with unilateral hearing loss, as listening with only one ear is much more strenuous.

"We all know that hearing is important for the social vein that we all naturally have within us," confirms Prim. Dr. Wolfgang Elsäßer, former head of the ENT department at the Vorarlberg State Hospital in Feldkirch. If we are pushed out of our social environment or can no longer participate in social interaction with others, this can lead to depression.

However, older people in particular also show that the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia is linked to hearing loss. Dr. Elsäßer knows: "The development of dementia and hearing loss are directly linked, as various studies have shown."

The path to hearing

Fortunately, there are now numerous solutions to hearing loss thanks to the latest technology. For people for whom conventional hearing aids no longer help, a cochlear implant is often the way back into the world of hearing. Dr. Elsäßer is a pioneer in the field of cochlear implants. He has been performing implants for over 20 years and has seen time and again how hearing has improved his patients' quality of life.

The optimal hearing solution is decided on a case-by-case basis after diagnosis. However, one thing is certain: everyone benefits from good hearing.