Everybody thinks “we hear with our ears,” and while that is partially correct, the process of hearing actually happens at the level of the brain. If your clinician thinks hearing first and not brain first in his or her treatment plan, you are missing out on many long-term lifestyle benefits, according to Dana L. Day, a clinical audiologist with Arizona Balance & Hearing Aids (ABHA).

Age-Related Hearing Loss, a progressive and degenerative disorder resulting from the loss of receptor cells (i.e. hair cells) in the ear, can have a significant impact on several key brain areas, including the memory, hearing, speech and language portions of cognitive function, Day explains.

Several key research studies have pointed to the potential links of hearing loss and dementia, including a groundbreaking study from Johns Hopkins Medical Center that indicated untreated hearing loss can increase risk of dementia by 200-500 percent.

ABHA presents a free educational event with guest speaker Dr. Keith Darrow, Ph.D., 10 Tuesday, March 12, at a Central Phoenix location that is TBA. Darrow will speak about “Stop Living in Isolation: Dementia & Cognitive Decline.” Darrow is a Harvard Medical and MIT-trained neuroscientist, clinical audiologist, speaker, researcher and author.

For more information or to register for this free program, call 602-265-9000 or visit www.azbalanceandhearing.com.