On World Hearing Day, we look at the association between untreated hearing loss and dementia.
In 2025, an estimated 433,300 Australians are living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, these numbers are predicted to double by 2058*. Nearly half (45%) of dementia cases are associated with several potentially modifiable risk factors. Among these, hearing loss is estimated to account for 7% of the risk of all dementia cases worldwide, however, to date, only the ACHIEVE clinical trial study has investigated the effect of hearing intervention, reporting negative results.**
It is unclear if the reported association between hearing loss and dementia is causal, and if the clinical remediation of hearing impairment can indeed reduce the rate of cognitive decline among older adults at risk of dementia.
To address this gap, a groundbreaking Australian clinical trial named HearCog was conducted by a former Young Tall Poppy recipient Associate Prof Dona Jayakody, Audiologist and Head of Brain and Hearing at Ear Science Institute Australia. “We just finished the HearCog trial and are very excited to find out about the outcomes of the study to find out whether by treating hearing loss, we can delay the rate of cognitive decline in older people,” says A/Prof Jayakody. Hearing loss and impact on quality of life
“What we are already seeing from our Australian research studies is that hearing loss not only increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia; it also increases the risk of loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress and frailty, which impact quality of life of older adults.”
“When older people experience hearing loss, it affects their ability to communicate effectively with family and friends. This is particularly pronounced when older people depend upon a small network of family and friends and the communication partners are required to speak loudly, repeat conversations and so on.”
“If the conversation is broken down between two people – even between partners, the person with hearing loss becomes emotionally and socially lonely.”
Get tested: hearing tests to improve quality of life
Treating hearing loss has many benefits including improved communication and quality of life. If you are struggling to understand speech, especially in noisy environments, having difficulty hearing people on the phone, often ask people to repeat themselves etc, it is the time to get your hearing tested.
Read about Dr Jayakody’s work at Ear Science Institute at https://www.earscience.org.au/research/#brain-and-hearing
*Sources: AIHW. Dementia in Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2023; and Lin et al., 2023.