Self-Reported Hearing Loss Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia
A six-year study of older Australians in CHeBA’s Sydney Memory and Ageing Study has uncovered an Australian-first association between the impact of hearing loss on cognitive abilities and increased risk for dementia.
In Australia, hearing loss affects 74% of people aged over 70. International studies estimate that people with severe hearing loss are five times more likely to develop dementia. Addressing midlife hearing loss could prevent up to 9% of new cases of dementia – the highest of any potentially modifiable risk factor identified by a commissioned report published in The Lancet in 2017.
A research collaboration between the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney and Macquarie University’s Centre for Ageing, Cognition and Wellbeing has confirmed significant associations between self-reported hearing loss and cognition, as well as increased risk for mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
Effect of COVID-19 Greatest on People Living with Dementia
The COVID-19 global pandemic is affecting people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in a unique way.
Not only does evidence suggest that people with dementia are more likely to contract COVID-19 than people without dementia, but also that older adults with dementia are more likely to have severe disease outcomes from the virus, including increased risk of death.
Researchers at UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) are calling for increased caregiver support and skilled staff to provide extra support for people living with dementia during and after the pandemic.