BILLINGS— A hearing aid client is taking action to reduce the risk of dementia, a disease that one study is tracing to hearing loss.
An April 2025 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that up to 32% of those with dementia could link the condition to their hearing loss.
Watch to see how you can slow down hearing loss:
Hardin resident Jody Reece is using hearing aids, which she hopes will slow down or prevent hearing loss risks.
“My occupation is with the public and I'm always on the phone or I'm talking to them in person. And it makes all the difference in the world on how I present myself,” she said.
Reece is receiving care at Audiology HQ in Billings. Receiving this care is important to her, as she watched her mother, Betty Parker, experience hearing loss, and later, dementia.
“We watched her dementia. It went a lot quicker because of the fact that she didn't care to hear. And she isolated herself,” Reece said.
Reece’s hearing aid dispenser at Audiology HQ, Mark LaFave, has seen hearing loss lead to dementia in clients for years.
“We've always known that there's been some correlation between hearing loss and dementia, but now there's more studies that corroborate what we've been saying,” he said.
LaFave said lack of brain stimulation due to hearing loss can weaken the brain, increasing the risk for dementia. He recommends people experiencing this consider hearing aids to slow down hearing loss progression.
“Hearing aids are really the number one thing that can kind of stave off hearing loss,” he said.
The clinic provides free hearing evaluations and offers hearing aids in multiple forms.
“You can pick what works for you. And they'll make sure that they work properly,” Reece said.
According to Dr. Erica Bruen, ear infections and regular exposure to loud environments threaten hearing.
“You can leave those environments and still can hear the ringing in your ears. And that’s just not good for your ears,” she said.
Bruen provided ways people can take steps to reduce their hearing loss every day.
“People who work in jobs with loud noises— printing presses, or construction jobs, it's really important to follow those occupational safety standards and wear your hearing protection. Also, if you listen with your earbuds or headphones, which has become so common now, make sure that you control the volume,” she said.
