Each June’s Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month renews our quest to understand the reasons that Ear to Brain is a Vital Domain. Let’s Learn Together.
Dementia is an “umbrella term” describing a set of symptoms including chronic challenges with:
- Memory
- Language and problem-solving
- Concentrating
- Expressing thoughts
- Acting impulsively, with poor judgment
Alzheimer’s is a brain disease recognized as a primary cause of Dementia symptoms. When Alzheimer’s gradually develops, the brain’s nerve cells (neurons) are damaged or destroyed in ways that diminish essential human capacities such as thinking, talking and walking.
Consider your brain a bustling city, with neural pathways acting as busy highways carrying a constant flow of sensory data. When hearing loss occurs, it’s akin to closing down major roads. When informational signals don’t flow smoothly, cognitive obstacles can occur.
The original (2017) Standing Lancet Commission on Dementia, Prevention, Intervention and Care report represented expert authors who likely invested 1000’s of hours in analyzing and summarizing decades of high-quality evidence. As groundbreaking science evolves, 2 subsequent reports have been published, the most recent in 2024. This landmark study identified 14 modifiable risk factors that have the potential to prevent, delay the onset or reduce the severity associated with nearly half of dementia cases worldwide. Notably, hearing loss was deemed the single most important, along with several comorbidities. This adapted graphic illustrates.
Chart source: Alzheimer’s Association. 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimers Dement 2025;21(5). DOI 10.1002/alz.70235.
Hearing-related highlights include:
“We recommend several specific actions across 14 risk factors:” 2
- “Make hearing aids accessible for people with hearing loss and decrease harmful noise exposure to reduce hearing loss.” 2
Why?
“The evidence that treating hearing loss decreases risks of dementia is now stronger than when our previous Commission report was published. Use of hearing aids appears to be particularly effective in people with hearing loss and additional risk factors for dementia.” 2
Now that you know, may we see you soon? From research to rejuvenation, your family can count on us.
1 Alzheimer’s Association. 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;21(5).
2 Livingston G, Huntley J, Liu KY, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The Lancet. Published online July 31, 2024. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0
