January 28, 2026
Hearing aids are an invaluable technology for people with hearing loss. Still, many people who could benefit don’t wear them, in many cases because they may feel embarrassed to be seen wearing the devices.
But here’s another incentive to don hearing aids if you are hard of hearing: It may lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers in Australia found that while the assistive devices did not appear to boost memory and thinking skills in people with moderate hearing loss, being prescribed hearing aids was associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
“Hearing loss is more common as we age, and previous research has found it may increase the risk of memory and thinking problems, including dementia, but less is known about how treating hearing loss with hearing aids may impact brain health,” said study author Joanne Ryan of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. “Our study followed people with hearing loss, some of whom were prescribed hearing aids and some who were not, and found cognitive scores were similar for both groups. However, we also found that hearing aids were associated with a lower risk of dementia.”
For the study, the researchers looked at 2,777 men and women in Australia enrolled in a long-term elderly health study and whose average age was 75. All had moderate hearing loss, defined as self-reported hearing problems, but none wore hearing aids. All were free of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia at the study’s start.
Over the next seven years, participants underwent annual tests of thinking and memory skills. During this time, 117 got a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia, while 664 were prescribed hearing aids.
The researchers compared people who were prescribed hearing aids with those who were not. The authors were surprised to find that, on average, wearing hearing aids was not associated with better scores on the tests of memory and thinking skills. One reason that could explain this finding, they noted, “could be that most study participants had good cognitive health when the study started, reducing the potential for improvement with hearing aids.”
But after adjusting for risk factors like age and medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease, the researchers found that people prescribed hearing aids had a 5 percent risk of developing dementia during the study period compared to 8 percent among their hard-of-hearing peers who were not. This was equivalent to a 33 percent lower dementia risk in those with hearing aids. As people used their hearing aids more often, their risk of dementia declined proportionally.
In addition, the researchers found that those prescribed hearing aids had a 36 percent risk of developing any type of cognitive impairment, which includes cognitive decline and dementia, compared to 42 percent for those who were not. This was equivalent to a 15 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment with hearing aid use.
“While we didn’t find a difference in cognitive scores, our study suggests that for older adults with hearing loss, using hearing aids may lower the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, benefiting brain health,” said Dr. Ryan. The findings were published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study showed only an association between being prescribed hearing aids and a lower dementia risk. But a growing body of evidence suggests that good hearing is essential for helping to keep the brain in good working order as we age. Good hearing promotes better social interaction, which is thought to be critical for brain health. In terms of modifiable risk factors for developing dementia, poor hearing has more of an impact than smoking, high blood pressure or lack of exercise.
The good news is that quality over-the-counter hearing aids are fast becoming more affordable and available, and many are very small and unobtrusive. Ask your doctor about what hearing aids might be right for you. A good hearing aid may help you to live for years longer, and to live those years with a brain that stays mentally sharp.
By ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by Eric Schmidt, Ph.D. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source: Lachlan Cribb, Margarita Morenzo-Betancur, Matthew Paul Pase, et al: “Treating Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia.” Neurology, January 14, 2026
