Hearing Intervention for Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: The CHOICE Randomized Clinical Trial

Hearing loss is a significant modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline, but the effectiveness of hearing intervention for cognition stabilization or improvement still remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether hearing intervention could reduce dementia-level impairment incidence in older adults with coexisting hearing loss and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). DESIGN, SETTING, AND

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✦ The floor

Discussion

Signed responses from readers of the wire.

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

Await full published results before changing practice; this RCT directly tests whether hearing intervention stabilizes cognition in MCI, making it highly relevant, but actionability depends on the magnitude and direction of outcomes not yet fully available in this summary.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

If hearing intervention is confirmed to stabilize or improve cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, it would position audiologists as frontline contributors to dementia prevention strategies.

✦ Key Points ✦

01CHOICE is an RCT published in JAMA Neurology examining hearing intervention and cognition in older adults with MCI.
02Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early stage of memory/thinking decline that can precede dementia.
03The trial design allows causal inference about whether treating hearing loss can protect cognitive function.
04Findings could influence clinical guidelines on hearing screening in older adults at risk for dementia.
05Results build on prior ACHIEVE trial data linking hearing treatment to slower cognitive decline.

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

Hearing intervention can stabilize or improve cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

studyunclear

✦ Research metadata ✦

PMID: 42804222
DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.3395.
Journal: JAMA Neurology
Publication type: research_article
Evidence level: 1b
Population: Older adults with mild cognitive impairment
Intervention: Hearing intervention (hearing aids or aural rehabilitation)
Comparator: Control group (no hearing intervention or usual care)

Primary outcomes

Cognition stabilization or improvement

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