Hearing loss due to ageing is natural decline in hearing. Hearing loss affects 70% of those aged 70 yrs and above and 40% of those aged over 50. Hearing loss has a well-documented association with dementia and may be the largest potential modifiable risk factor for dementia. Dementia is impairment of memory, thinking and reasoning.

The link between hearing and memory has a lot to do with the brain. One might think hearing is primarily a function of the ears but in reality they merely collect sounds from the environment and send them to the brain for processing.

It is thought that wearing hearing aids sooner and more regularly could help reduce risk of memory issues and dementia.

We recommend age related hearing loss should be assessed timely and a suitable hearing aid should be worn to avoid effects of hearing loss on brain and memory cognition.