A new study from University College London (UCL) suggests that a personalized approach to hearing care could help protect cognitive health in older adults who are at risk of dementia.
The study focused on people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—a condition that often leads to dementia—and found that a structured support programsignificantly increased hearing aid use in this vulnerable group.
How the Study Was Conducted
The study, published in Age and Ageing, was carried out in community memory clinics across three NHS Trusts in the UK. It included 58 participants aged 55 and older who had untreated hearing loss. The researchers compared two different approaches to hearing care:
- Standard care: Participants received hearing aids without additional support.
- Personalized intervention: Participants received four guided sessions to help them adjust to their hearing aids. These sessions included:
- Proper fitting and adjustment of the hearing aids.
- Setting personal communication goals based on individual needs.
- Practical support for using hearing aids in daily life.
- Fine-tuning and troubleshooting as needed.
Key Findings
The results showed a dramatic difference in hearing aid use between the two groups:
- 75% of those receiving personalized support used their hearing aids daily.
- Only 22% of those in the standard care group used them daily.
This is an important discovery because hearing loss is a major risk factor for dementia. Previous UCL research found that addressing hearing loss—along with 13 other lifestyle-related factors—could help prevent or delay nearly half of dementia cases.
Why This Matters
Many older adults with hearing loss do not consistently use their hearing aids, even though doing so could help protect their brain health. This study shows that personalized hearing support makes a big difference in helping people stick with their hearing aids.
Professor Sergi Costafreda (UCL Psychiatry), the lead researcher, explained:
“Our pilot study shows that we can engage people with mild memory problems in a hearing intervention, and that the program was acceptable to patients.
Three-quarters of participants used their hearing aids daily, and we saw early signs that this may help cognitive function. However, we now need a larger study to confirm these results.”
Professor Anne Schilder (UCL Ear Institute) added:
“This study provides strong evidence that we should move forward with a large-scale trial to examine the impact of hearing care on brain health. People with mild cognitive impairment may benefit the most from hearing aids, as they could help maintain cognitive function and independent living.”
What’s Next?
The next step is a larger trial to determine whether improved hearing aid use directly protects against cognitive decline. If confirmed, this could lead to better hearing care programs for older adults, especially those at risk of dementia.
This study highlights the importance of early hearing intervention and personalized support in helping older adults maintain both their hearing and cognitive function. By making hearing aids easier to use and integrating them into daily life, healthcare providers may be able to reduce dementia risk and improve quality of life for many aging adults.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about Vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and Oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing flavonoid-rich foods could improve survival in Parkinson’s disease.
The research findings can be found in Age and Ageing.
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