For the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included hearing aids among the interventions that may be offered as part of strategies to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, marking a notable change from its previous guidance. The recommendation appears in the WHO’s second edition of its guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia , released in July 2026....
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Audiologists can now cite WHO-level guideline support when counseling patients on hearing aids as part of a dementia risk-reduction strategy — reinforcing existing practice for proactive fitting in adults with untreated hearing loss.
WHO guideline inclusion of hearing aids for dementia risk reduction gives the audiology profession its strongest international policy backing yet for treating hearing loss as a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline.
- 01WHO has updated its dementia risk-reduction guidelines to include hearing aids for the first time.
- 02This marks a significant policy shift from the WHO's previous guidance, which omitted hearing aids.
- 03The update aligns with growing research linking untreated hearing loss to increased dementia risk.
- 04Audiologists now have WHO-level authority to support hearing aid recommendations in a brain-health context.
- 05The change may strengthen public health messaging and insurance/funding arguments for hearing aid access.
The WHO has updated its dementia risk-reduction guidelines to include hearing aids as a recommended intervention for the first time.
guidelinesupportedThe WHO's previous guidance did not include hearing aids as a dementia risk-reduction intervention.
guidelinesupported