Verizon popularized the question, “Can you hear me now?” Today, that question isn’t just about cell coverage, it’s about staying connected in retirement. It’s a question that belongs in our longevity planning, and yes, our brain health, too.
The conversation begins like so many others in kitchens, cars, and restaurants across the country.
“What? You’re mumbling,” he says.
“I’m not mumbling,” she shoots back, leaning forward over the bread basket. Under her breath, she may be mumbling something else.
“It’s too loud in here,” he replies, squinting at the menu like it’s to blame.
“You don’t need a quieter table,” she says, cutting him off. “You need to get your hearing checked.”
Sound familiar?
This couple’s exchange reflects one that many of us witness or participate in; there’s a critical truth hiding in plain sight. Hearing isn’t just about sound. It’s about connection, clarity, participation, safety, and increasingly, brain health.
Yet, hearing health is one of the most overlooked, under-treated, and socially stigmatized aspects of aging. As we plan for longer lives, our ears deserve more than just earbuds. They deserve attention, maintenance, and care.
Here is a new retirement planning question that is not about your portfolio, but how you will continue to connect with the world in retirement. Who’s your audiologist?
Hearing Loss: Common, Costly, And Culturally Ignored
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one in eight Americans aged 12 or older has hearing loss in both ears. For people in their retirement years, ages 65 to 74, nearly one in four experiences disabling hearing loss. By age 75, it’s more than one in two.
And men? They’re almost twice as likely as women to experience it.
Dr. Laurel Christensen, Chief Audiology Officer at GN ReSound, notes: “The average age of a person with hearing difficulty is 57. The average age they get hearing aids? 60. And even that’s an improvement. The delay used to be 10 years.”
The reasons are as familiar: stigma, denial, cost, confusion, and the gradual nature of the loss. Unlike a broken leg or a sudden illness, hearing loss often creeps in quietly. Background noise becomes more annoying, loved ones’ voices a little harder to follow, restaurant or any group conversation nearly impossible. For too many, hearing loss is “just part of aging,” a problem to tolerate rather than treat.
But the cost of delay is far more than missed punchlines or mistaking “peaches” for “teaches.” It’s a long-term threat to mental, emotional, and cognitive well-being.
Brain Health And Hearing Loss
Brain health is quickly becoming part of healthy retirement planning. But brain health is about more than proper nutrition, physical activity, and even brain exercises. Hearing health is brain health.
There is now evidence that untreated hearing loss is a leading modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. The Lancet’s Commission on Dementia Prevention ranks hearing loss as the single most significant modifiable risk factor for developing dementia. This makes hearing loss the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia, surpassing smoking, hypertension, or physical inactivity.
Dr. Christensen adds, “Untreated hearing loss has long been associated with depression, social isolation, and cognitive decline. It is crucial for those with hearing loss to get help early and use technologies that work well in noisy environments.”
Hearing loss isn’t just a sensory problem; it’s also a social and cognitive one. When the brain has difficulty decoding muffled or missing sounds, it uses precious mental resources that should go to memory, focus, and decision-making. Additionally, people with hearing loss often withdraw socially, which can accelerate the decline in key areas we want to protect with age, such as social connection.
From Big And Beige Boxes To AI-Powered ‘Hearables’
Fortunately, hearing technology has evolved dramatically from the days of beige, bulky, whistling aids that practically shouted “old age.” Today’s hearing devices are sleek, discreet, and, in some cases, even cool.
AI-powered hearing aids now offer beamforming microphones that can isolate voices in noisy rooms, Bluetooth streaming from smartphones, and even public access broadcasting through emerging technologies like Auracast. Think of Auracast as the hearing aid equivalent of public Wi-Fi. Soon, it will make it possible to “tune in” at airports, stadiums, and theaters just like connecting to a hotspot.
Having what is effectively an appliance in your ear is now part of modern life. As Dr. Seth Weible of Manhattan Audio South notes, “Modern hearing aids are increasingly adopting earbud-style profiles, seamlessly integrating into the growing culture of always-on audio. Apple’s AirPods may have done more to reduce the stigma of in-ear devices than any public health campaign could.”
Design, in other words, is not just cosmetic. It’s cultural. By shifting perception from ‘hearing aids’ to ‘hearables,’ we may finally break the stigma barrier that prevents so many from seeking help.
The Retirement Checkup You’re Not Getting
What’s needed is not just access but advocacy. Longevity planning should include a trusted audiologist the way it includes a financial professional, a primary care physician, a dentist, and often a few other specialists.
In a culture that promotes colonoscopies, skin checks, dental cleanings, and annual physicals, hearing somehow remains off the routine list. Why?
Part of the reason, says Dr. Christensen, is that many people don’t realize the impact hearing has on their overall health. That is, until it’s too late. “The number one reason people finally get a hearing aid is a hearing test that demonstrates a need. The second is a trusted care professional.”
That’s a public health marketing challenge as much as a medical one. Hearing evaluations should be as normalized as eye exams, shingles shots, and signing up for Medicare. They should be easily accessible, included in wellness programs, and supported by primary care physicians.
Longevity Planning Needs An Audiologist
Too often, hearing loss is thought of as an inevitable consequence of aging. In truth, it’s a midlife planning issue with retirement-life consequences. The average hearing aid wearer today is 63, down from 66 in 2019. Younger adoption is not only possible, it’s necessary.
You might have a financial advisor, a fitness coach, or even a dermatologist. But do you have an audiologist?
Longevity planning is more than money and medicine. It’s about preparing for a life of participation, purpose, and presence. So yes, keep your savings on track. But also keep your hearing in check because living well in retirement isn’t just about what you hear. It’s about what you don’t miss.
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