Did you know that April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month? Parkinson’s disease occurs due to a gradual, but permanent degeneration of dopamine nerve cells in specific areas of the brain. As further and further degeneration occurs, people begin to experience motor symptoms such as stiffness, difficulty moving and slow movement, tremors, and postural instability.
Parkinson’s disease also affects balance and mobility and when this is compromised it is difficult to react quickly to alerting signals. If the patient can’t hear these sounds, it can put them at physical risk.
So where does audiology come in? In addition to the symptoms listed above, people with Parkinson’s disease may experience cognitive impairment and hearing loss. The cochlea, also known as our organ of hearing, can become damaged due to a lack of dopamine that results when a person has Parkinson’s. Dopamine is a hormone that can help protect the cochlea from damage due to noise exposure and other hearing related factors, therefore as dopamine decreases, that damage to the cochlea can result in hearing loss.
Spouses and caregivers of patients with Parkinson’s disease will often notice that since this disease can affect the vocal cords, it is often hard to hear or understand the patient. It is recommended that a hearing test for the caregiver is just as important as it is for the patient.
We highly recommend having your hearing checked so that an audiologist can diagnose if hearing loss is present and then further work with you to come up with an appropriate treatment plan.
Delray – 561-638-6530
Boynton – 561-736-6002
Jupiter – 561-888-7260
