FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — At 71, Toni Ganguzza said she has been undergoing hearing tests for the last two decades after she noticed she was missing out on conversations.
Ganguzza, who eventually agreed to get a hearing aid, is a patient of Dr. Valerie Rossetti, an audiologist at Florida Hearing Matters in Fort Lauderdale.
Rossetti said it’s good to be proactive like Ganguzza because hearing loss can be debilitating in many ways. Studies show hearing loss impacts the brain.
“People many times can forget. They can stop socializing. They can become more isolated,” Rossetti said. “All these factors can lead to dementia.”
Researchers found that more than 30% of people diagnosed with dementia have hearing loss, and hearing aids can lower the risk of dementia by 60%.
“Why not do it? It’s really an investment ... in your future, on what the rest of your life is going to be,” Ganguzza said.
With technological advances, Ganguzza has been upgrading her hearing aids for years. Artificial intelligence-powered hearing aids adapt to different environments.
“We are finding that patients are wearing their hearing aids longer, that they are able to participate in conversation, they are able to hear speech over noice, which makes it more acceptable to go to restaurants, and social engagements,” Rossetti said.
Ganguzza recently got the AI-powered Oticon, which the company advertises as having a 20-hour battery life, capability for hands-free phone calls, and a mobile app. Widex, Starkey, Signia, and Phonak are among the other brands offering AI-powered hearing aids starting at about $1,500.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
