How are hearing aids and dementia related? A new study explains

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CNN — Hearing aids might be an important tool in the effort to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new study.
Research has established that hearing loss in an important risk factor in developing dementia, but whether intervening with the hearing loss will also treat the progression of cognitive decline has been less clear, said senior study author Woei Shyang Loh, Head of Otolaryngology at the National University Hospital and National University of Singapore.
Hearing loss, while a big risk factor for cognitive decline, is fairly easy to correct in developed countries, said Dr. Thomas Holland, physician scientist of the Rush Institute for Health Aging.
But the use of these devices can even benefit those who have begun to show a decline in cognition, and according to the new research, patients can still see benefit even if they did not add in hearing aids early, he added.