There are ways to reduce the risk of dementia
The 2020 Report of The Lancet Commission, Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care, was released on July 30th, 2020. The report indicates that modifying all 12 risk factors from childhood to late life could delay or prevent 40% of dementia cases. These lifestyle factors can be adjusted in order to reduce one’s risk for developing dementia. The 12 modifiable risk factors are presented below:2
Of these 12 risk factors, an untreated hearing loss in midlife is a significant modifiable risk factor for dementia. Additionally, dementia risk varies based on level of hearing loss.
- Mild hearing loss doubles the dementia risk
- Moderate hearing loss triples the risk
- Severe hearing impairment increases dementia risk by up to 5 times that of those who do not have hearing impairment1
The recent study by the Lancet also cites that “hearing loss might result in cognitive decline through reduced cognitive stimulation.2