Hearing loss
Untreated midlife hearing loss is the single largest modifiable risk factor identified by the 2024 Lancet Commission.
Why it matters
When the brain stops receiving sound, the areas that process language shrink. Hearing aids restore input and slow that decline.
What to ask at the checkup
Ask whether a hearing test is due and whether hearing aids would help
Screening: Audiogram or whisper test
Sources
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet Commission
Livingston G, Huntley J, Liu KY et al.. The Lancet, 2024.
Fourteen things people can change account for nearly half of dementia cases at the population level.
Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE)
Lin FR, Deal JA, Reed NS et al.. The Lancet, 2023.
Fitting hearing aids in at-risk older adults slowed their cognitive decline by nearly half over three years.
Routines for this factor
Face them when you talk, TV off
Turn off background noise and face each other during conversation.
0 min, difficulty 1/3
Put captions on during dinner TV
Turn on closed captions for any TV watched during the evening.
2 min, difficulty 1/3
Book a hearing test
Call or go online and book a hearing test.
5 min, difficulty 1/3