Michael D.Executive Director at Florida Assisted Living CoalitionTop Contributor

Are you a good listener? 

Approximately one in five Americans has suffered some degree of hearing loss which is regretfully untreated in about 85% of those experiencing difficulty becoming a potentially more serious problem. 
People who can’t hear well will sometime tilt their heads to catch what is being said and other times will read lips. Because hearing loss is consistent with aging, most who are with problem choose to avoid getting treatment. 
Friends and Family. 
As if this social isolation weren't bad enough in itself, new research indicates that untreated hearing loss may also cause an increased risk of dementia. 
Untreated hearing loss can cause Dementia 
Scientists** have recently completed a study which followed 639 subjects for nearly 12 years. They found a direct, one-to-one relationship between the subjects' degree of hearing loss and their risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. 
Compared to subjects with normal hearing at the beginning of the study, those who had mild hearing loss were twice as likely to develop dementia, those who had moderate hearing loss were three times as likely to develop dementia, and those with severe hearing loss were five times as likely to develop dementia. For each 10-decibel decrease in their hearing ability, the risk of dementia rose by 20%. These findings remained current even when other medical conditions were contributing factors; diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and other high risk factors for dementia were considered. 
The study, explains how loss of hearing could cause cognitive deficits and dementia: "People are most likely to notice communication problems when their hearing loss exceeds 25 decibels. It’s not that they can’t hear, but they can’t understand. Hearing loss at this level affects the clarity of words. The brain dedicates a lot of resources to hearing, so when the clarity of words is garbled, the brain gets a garbled message. It has to reallocate resources to hear at the expense of other brain functions." Says Dr. Lin study author. 
What can we do about this? 
One thing we can do, if we are experiencing some symptoms of hearing loss seek treatment. The link between losing one's hearing and a greater risk of dementia has been strongly established. Resources; Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Frank R. Lin, lead the study. Contributors By Juliette Siegfried | Neurological Disorders