Hearing loss can affect your balance, and the risk of falling increases as hearing gets worse. Studies show that a person with mild hearing loss or worse was three times more likely to have reported a fall over the past year. Our ears use sounds like footsteps from our environment to help us balance while walking. If you have hearing loss, you may miss these important sounds to be able to walk safely and keep your balance. Having a hearing and balance assessment with a hearing specialist is important.

Lin, F. R., & Ferrucci, L. (2012). Hearing Loss and Falls Among Older Adults in the United States. Archives of internal medicine, 172(4), 369. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.728

To learn more, you can browse the Balance & Hearing Health category or the Hearing Health category page.