Dementia and hearing aids, again: the ACHIEVE trial
July 18, 2023
The results of the ACHIEVE trial of hearing interventions aimed at helping cognition in older people are very welcome. This is a really important piece of research and will have implications for patients, clinicians and researchers. As a hearing aid user myself, I am personally very interested in this topic. The background is that hearing …
The humble hearing aid versus Giant Dementia
April 21, 2023
The Lancet Commission reports published in 2017 and 2021 have highlighted hearing loss as a major risk factor for dementia, suggesting that hearing loss from midlife onwards is responsible for about 8% of the potentially modifiable risk of dementia. Therefore, potentially, eliminating the problem could prevent 8% of future cases of dementia. This would be …
Roger and out? Further reflections on wireless microphones
April 4, 2023
Roger happens to be the name of a series of wireless microphones designed to augment the effects of hearing aids. As I mentioned in an earlier blog (Hearing aids and beyond… – Hearing Matters (nottingham.ac.uk), these devices come in different shapes and sizes according to the intended purpose. This blog is to present a personal …
Hearing aids and beyond…
February 3, 2023
I wrote a few months ago about my initial acceptance of having hearing loss and the experience of acquiring hearing aids (Tom Dening: Hearing aids and cognitive impairment – Challenging Stigma and Promoting Personhood (lancs.ac.uk)). Since then, things have moved on somewhat, causing me to reflect on what is available to help people optimise their …
Hearing Loss and Cognitive Impairment
September 21, 2022
Hearing loss and cognitive impairment are both extremely common, especially in older adults. Untreated hearing loss has been identified as the leading modifiable risk factor for the development of dementia in mid-life. Currently, one in five adults in the UK live with hearing loss. It is estimated that 12 million people in the UK have …
COVID and hearing – please help us
March 23, 2022
Have you had COVID before? Do you feel this has affected your hearing and balance or had no effect at all? Seventeen more volunteers needed to complete our study on COVID and hearing! Could you be one of them? It is two years to the day since the first national UK COVID lockdown was …
Patients and public leading at the crossover of mental health and hearing
March 3, 2022
Hearing and mental health overlap For what remain as ‘hidden’ disabilities, hearing and mental health conditions are incredibly common: 1.6 billion people live with hearing loss, while 792 million people are affected by mental health issues. Despite their prevalence, social stigma is attached to both and there is little public understanding of their impact. Also, …
Use hearing aids but struggle to hear well enough? Take part in the COACH trial.
Take part in research comparing hearing aids to a cochlear implant in adults with severe to profound deafness. NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) examines all the evidence to decide guidelines for clinical treatment. Based on the current evidence, adults may be offered a cochlear implant on the NHS when they have at …
World Hearing Day 2022
World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. It is led by the World Hearing Forum of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The focus for 2022 is on the importance of safe listening …
Participant to partner: a research journey
Katrina Copping uses hearing aids to help with her hearing loss and tinnitus. Katrina is working alongside researchers at the Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (Hearing Theme) as a Patient Research Partner. Emma Broome is a Research Fellow at the Biomedical Research Centre. In this blog, Katrina and …
