Alzheimer’s and Hearing Loss – Part 1

Unfortunately, for many older adults, the symptoms of hearing loss can mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, making someone experiencing both medical problems difficult to diagnose.  These symptoms can include confusion, misunderstanding conversation and declining short term memory.

One of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease that makes itself apparent is requesting the same information repeatedly.  This is also an early symptom of hearing loss, often happening because the patient with hearing loss cannot understand the words being spoken.

Another symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is trouble joining into or following a conversation.  This symptom is identical to an early signal of hearing loss, where the patient has difficulty following conversation in noisy surroundings.

Alzheimer’s patients, like those with early hearing loss, also tend withdraw from family, friends and social situations.  Both types of patients can also become easily irritated, suspicious of others and depressed.

Unlike people who experienced mild memory loss as they age, older adults who experience memory loss that causes disruptions in daily life need to see a physician for diagnosis of a possibly serious medical condition.  Both Alzheimer’s disease and hearing loss can affect an older adult’s memory skills to the point of disrupting their daily routine.

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