Your hearing does more than keep you in the conversation. It also helps keep your brain active, and the World Health Organization (WHO) now recognizes that connection in its guidelines on dementia risk.
If you or someone you love has hearing loss, that’s encouraging news, because hearing loss is treatable. Here’s what changed, what the research shows, and what you can do next.
What Changed in the WHO Guidelines on Dementia Risk
In July 2026, the WHO updated its guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. For the first time, they say hearing aids may be offered to adults with hearing loss as one way to help lower that risk.1
Treating hearing loss now sits alongside other steps that support brain health, like staying active, managing blood pressure, and staying socially connected.1 The recommendation is “conditional,” which means the likely benefits outweigh the downsides while research continues.
What the Research Shows About Hearing Loss and Your Brain
Your ears collect sound, but your brain does the work of turning it into meaning. When hearing loss sends the brain a weaker, less complete signal, researchers believe it affects the brain in three main ways:
- Your brain works harder to listen. It has to fill in the missing pieces of speech, which leaves less mental energy for memory and thinking.
- Your brain gets less stimulation. The areas that process sound receive less input, and over time that may change how they work.
- You may spend less time with others. When conversations are hard to follow, it’s tempting to pull back from them. Social isolation is a risk factor for dementia on its own.1
Hearing loss has not been shown to cause dementia on its own, and having hearing loss doesn’t mean memory problems are ahead. It’s one risk factor among many, and it’s one you can do something about.
Can hearing aids help? In a large clinical trial called ACHIEVE, nearly 1,000 older adults with untreated hearing loss received either hearing care or general health education. After three years, the two groups were about the same overall. But among those at higher risk for cognitive decline, people who received hearing care lost thinking and memory skills 48% more slowly.2
Hearing aids aren’t a treatment for dementia. Still, treating hearing loss is safe, it helps in everyday life right away, and it may help protect your thinking and memory over time.
What You Can Do to Support Your Hearing Health
Start with a hearing test. Hearing usually changes slowly, so it’s easy to miss. In one study, about two-thirds of older adults had hearing loss when they were tested, but only about one-third said they had trouble hearing.3
That’s why we recommend a baseline hearing screening for anyone 50 or older. Our free online hearing screener is a great place to start, and an in-office hearing test with one of our audiologists will show you exactly where your hearing stands.
At Midwest Hearing, our doctors of audiology work alongside our ENT physicians, so your hearing and any medical causes of hearing loss are cared for under one roof. If you need treatment, we’ll build a plan around your hearing, lifestyle, and budget. We encourage you to bring a family member or friend to your visit.
Ready to take the next step? Call (651) 770-1363 or request an appointment online to schedule your hearing evaluation.
References
1 World Health Organization. Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines, second edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2026.
2 Lin FR, Pike JR, Albert MS, et al. Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet. 2023;402(10404):786-797. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01406-X.
3 Ishak E, Burg EA, Pike JR, et al. Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Published online April 17, 2025. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192.