Nicholas S. Reed AuD PhD 1,2 Jennifer A. Deal PhD 2 1 Amplifon S.p.A, Milian, Italy 2 Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States An explosion in public health literature over the past 15-20 years has linked hearing loss to numerous areas of aging, including cognitive decline, social isolation, health resource utilization, dementia, and physical activity....
Audiologists can use this guide to improve how they communicate the hearing-loss–cognition evidence base to patients and referrers, but it introduces no new clinical evidence that would change testing or treatment protocols.
Clear professional communication about the hearing-cognition link is increasingly important as public health messaging on dementia prevention reaches patients, and clinicians need reliable frameworks to interpret and convey this evidence accurately.
- 01The guide reviews the public health literature on hearing loss and cognitive decline.
- 02Authors are affiliated with Johns Hopkins and Amplifon — a potential conflict of interest to note.
- 03Designed to help professionals interpret and discuss evidence, not to introduce new findings.
- 04Supports audiologists in responding to patient questions about dementia and hearing loss.
- 05No new primary data are presented.
Hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline based on the public health literature.
studypartially supported
