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University of Auckland Audiology Professor, Grant Searchfield says older people with undetected and untreated hearing loss are at risk of more rapid cognitive decline. With an ageing population, in the next 20 years, people with dementia is set to double.
Professor Searchfield says multiple studies of ageing populations have shown that people with normal hearing, or with hearing normalised through the use of hearing aids have better cognition - than those with hearing loss who are not using aids. He says a Government subsidy for the devices, while not a cure for dementia, could potentially reduce the escalating costs of dementia care.
