Hearing loss is more common than you might think. The latest Healthy Hearing statistics explain that it’s the third leading chronic condition in the US, behind arthritis and heart disease. Though it affects people across age groups, it’s more common among older adults. Nearly two-thirds of American seniors aged 71 and up experience it. That percentage goes up to more than 96% for those over 80.
Worryingly, healthcare researchers have found a growing link between hearing loss and dementia, another age-related condition. Addressing it is becoming more important, as dementia cases in the US are expected to hit one million by 2060. That increase may partially be driven by hearing loss, which is currently the biggest mid-life risk factor for dementia.
According to audiologist Jasmine Bensen, that’s because hearing loss causes the brain to receive less stimulation over time, leading to a deterioration that’s similar to muscle atrophy. Because the condition is gradual, this change often goes unnoticed until it becomes more severe.
Ultimately, the best way to slow hearing loss and lower dementia risk is to wear hearing aids. In fact, they can fully cut one’s likelihood of developing dementia in half. Fortunately, their preventive benefits are becoming more widely accessible thanks to the following solutions.
Improved over-the-counter accessibility
Before 2022, access to hearing aids was often blocked by financial barriers, with some hard-of-hearing Americans having to pay as much as $6,000 for them. That changed when an executive order from the Biden administration motivated the FDA to start selling hearing aids over the counter (OTC) without a prescription. This preventive solution has ultimately made these assistive devices more accessible, as they’re now available at major chains like Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS for as low as $200.
Additionally, the move made room for more companies to start developing non-prescription hearing aids of their own—something particularly crucial given that, prior to the executive order, only five manufacturers in the US were licensed to do so. Now, hard-of-hearing patients have more flexibility when it comes to choosing options that can help them prevent both severe hearing loss and dementia in a way that suits their particular budget and lifestyle. That paved the way for further solutions, including those below.
Integrated eyewear solutions
Due to stigma, only one in five people eligible to use hearing aids use them despite the fact that they’re now more affordable—and patients are aware they can prevent hearing loss progression and dementia. Over half of the respondents in a 2024 Forbes health survey believe that hearing aids are associated with aging and disability, with one in five adding that they don’t want people to see that they’re wearing them. It’s thus no surprise that the FDA approved the Nuance audio hearing glasses this year.
These embed OTC hearing aids into what looks like regular glasses—they come in different frame styles and even prescription or photochromic lenses. However, they can simultaneously treat mild to moderate hearing loss. Wearers can use Nuance’s companion app to adjust volume and background noise. Additional beamforming technology amplifies sounds, like speech, coming from the direction in which they’re facing, creating an all-in-one, “invisible” solution that motivates more patients to wear hearing aids that slow hearing loss and dementia risk.
Hearing aid earphones
In the past few years, innovations have focused on better adapting hearing aids to fit today’s more digital lifestyles. For instance, brands like Jabra and Phonak have come up with Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids that are controllable via an app. Meanwhile, the likes of the Starkey Genesis use AI to automatically make adjustments and provide smooth, consistent, and true-to-life hearing assistance. However, other innovations go even further to make hearing aids both accessible and appealing—by ensuring gadgets that provide similar functions can also double as an assistive device.
That’s the case with one product many Americans already own: AirPods. The upgraded Pro 2 version of these Apple earphones now offers customizable hearing aid features that can boost or lower specific volumes and frequencies based on a wearer’s preferences. Perhaps more crucially, they come with a clinical-grade hearing test on the iPhone’s Health app that can help users determine if they need these features in the first place. These hearing aid functionalities, which took over six years to develop, aim to help more people detect and treat hearing loss early, making them an ideal solution for both preventing severe hearing loss and lowering one’s chances of developing dementia.
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