A Guide from Dr. Zelenko
Hearing health,
and why it matters.
Hearing is a critical part of your overall health — cognition, balance, safety, and quality of life all run through it. Here's what the research says, in plain language.
71%
The 2025 Framingham Heart Study followed 2,100 people for 15 years. Untreated hearing loss — even mild — raised the risk of developing dementia by 71% compared to normal hearing.
Brain MRI scans showed smaller brain volumes and damaged white matter in participants with untreated hearing loss.
Recognizing Hearing Loss
Do any of these sound familiar?
If two or more feel true, a baseline hearing evaluation is worth your time. Sooner is easier — and outcomes are better.
- 01People sound like they're mumbling
- 02You contribute less at meetings, restaurants, or family gatherings
- 03The TV volume keeps climbing
- 04Background noise makes conversation exhausting
- 05You miss key words and lose the thread
- 06The phone is harder than it used to be
- 07You ask people to repeat themselves — often
Effects of Untreated Hearing Loss
The cost of waiting is bigger than most people think.
Social isolation
Withdrawing from conversation, gatherings, and the people you love.
Listening fatigue
Your brain works overtime to fill the gaps — and there's less left for everything else.
Anxiety & depression
Untreated hearing loss is linked with real declines in emotional well-being.
Cognitive decline
Framingham found a 71% higher dementia risk with untreated hearing loss.
Good news
Our brains are plastic. Treating hearing loss changes the trajectory.
Wearing hearing aids about 12 hours a day has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia. Hearing loss is the number one modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline — and that's a hopeful sentence.
Your First Visit
What to expect.
01
Case history
A conversation. Your health, your life, what brought you in.
02
Otoscopy
A gentle look inside your ears with a specialized scope.
03
Hearing evaluation
Sound-treated booth. Tones and speech across the frequencies.
04
Results & plan
Clear results. Real recommendations. No pressure to buy anything.
Prevention
How loud is too loud?
The louder the sound, the faster it damages your hearing. Safe exposure times shrink quickly:
85 dBA
A few hours
Heavy traffic, blender
100 dBA
≤ 14 minutes
Headphones near max, motorcycle
110 dBA
≤ 2 minutes
Rock concert, chainsaw
140+ dBA
Instant risk
Fireworks at close range
Get a baseline.
The sooner we treat hearing loss, the easier and better the outcomes. Book a comprehensive evaluation — usually 60 – 90 minutes.
Book a visit