# Treat hearing loss that affects you

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://healthy100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://healthy100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://healthy100.jock.pl/mind-hearing-care/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-27
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-28, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 47 of 100 in the list: https://healthy100.jock.pl/#mind-hearing-care

Hearing care makes conversation possible again and may help protect thinking as you age.

**The number:** Removing hearing loss could in theory prevent about 7% of dementia cases ([WHO, via NCBI Bookshelf, 2026](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK623908/))

## The evidence

- Evidence grade: B. Grade B: consistent large cohort studies, with some trial evidence.
- Basis: WHO 2026 conditional recommendation on low certainty evidence, plus the ACHIEVE randomized trial of 977 adults whose overall result was neutral
- Impact: 62/100. The impact score is an editorial prioritization heuristic for the general list, not a validated estimate of your personal risk.

## Why it matters

Making speech easier to hear supports conversation, work and staying involved with people. WHO's 2026 dementia guidelines note that if hearing loss were eliminated at population level, about 7% of dementia cases could in theory be prevented, and they now make a conditional recommendation, on low certainty evidence, that hearing aids may be offered to adults with hearing loss to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. In the ACHIEVE trial the overall result was neutral; only the higher risk subgroup showed 48% less cognitive change over three years. About one in five people has some form of hearing loss, and prevalence rises with age.

## How to do it

1. Arrange a hearing assessment if you struggle to follow conversation or keep turning the volume up.
2. Talk through suitable hearing aids and your own communication goals with an audiology professional.
3. Wear fitted devices regularly, and go back for adjustment if comfort or clarity is poor.

## Talk to a clinician first

Sudden hearing loss, hearing that gets worse over a few days or weeks, or hearing loss with earache or discharge needs an urgent appointment. Treat hearing aids as treatment for hearing loss, with realistic expectations about any effect on thinking.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Before your next conversation, turn down background noise or move somewhere quieter, and face the person so you can see their mouth.
- 5 minutes: For gradual hearing difficulty, request a hearing assessment. For sudden loss, hearing that worsens over days or weeks, earache or discharge, seek urgent care.
- 15 minutes: List the situations where hearing is hard and two things you want help with; include any hearing aids you already use.

### What it looks like

- Ask for a quieter table so you can follow a conversation without turning everything up.
- Tell the audiologist that your main goal is hearing your grandchild or following work meetings.

### Common mistakes

- Do not assume hearing changes are just ageing: arrange an assessment, and seek urgent help for sudden or rapidly worsening loss.
- If a fitted hearing aid is uncomfortable or unclear, ask for an adjustment instead of quietly abandoning it.
- Poking fingers or cotton buds into an ear that feels blocked can cause damage: leave it alone and get it checked instead.

### A structured start

**Get hearing support that fits your life**

1. Arrange an assessment and describe when the change started.
2. Discuss the cause, communication goals and suitable options with the professional.
3. If you receive a device, agree how to use it and when to return for comfort or clarity adjustments.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Hearing loss: signs, urgent symptoms and communication tips](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hearing-loss/), NHS

## Sources

- [Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines, second edition, recommendations](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK623908/), WHO, via NCBI Bookshelf, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss: ACHIEVE trial](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10529382/), The Lancet, via PMC, 2023 (Tier 2 study)
- [Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management, NG98](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations), NICE, 2023 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.

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Reuse: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/