Aug 20, 2026
Dr. Rachel Artsma, lead audiologist at hear.com offers comprehensive hearing care services and she emphasizes how dramatically hearing aids have evolved from earlier generations. Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries, and real-time environmental adjustments are now being driven by smart chips in the devices, which also allow direct streaming of phone calls, music, and driving directions. Untreated hearing loss can lead to auditory deprivation, in which the brain does not receive clear auditory input, resulting in increased cognitive strain and a decline in cognitive function.
Rachel explains, "Hearing loss can happen really gradually, and so oftentimes it can go unnoticed. What we do is we like to educate people on the early signs of hearing loss, such as asking others to repeat themselves, turning the television up, or family members noticing it before them. And then when it comes to the actual hearing test, we do a full comprehensive audiological evaluation. In that audiological evaluation, we sometimes see signs of other health issues. We do make referrals to other specialists such as ear, nose, and throat physicians if we're seeing that something else might be happening in the health of that person."
"I honestly feel like one of the most exciting developments in hearing healthcare is our growing understanding of the hearing-brain connection. We really don't hear with our ears. We really hear with our brain. Our ears are collecting the sound, but our brain is really giving that sound meaning. So what can happen if we don't treat hearing loss and it goes untreated is something called auditory deprivation, which essentially just means we're depriving the brain of the sound that it's looking for. And what happens is the brain then has to work a little harder and devote extra resources to decoding that speech and sound. And that extra effort is what can lead to some strain on other cognitive functions such as memory. So we see that that strain, because we hear with our brain, can lead to some of those other cognitive functions declining."
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