Dementia and hearing loss: A narrative review

Dementia and hearing loss are both common among older people. The co-occurrence of the two conditions increases complexities in all aspects of an individual's care and management plan. There has been increasing research interest in the relationship between dementia and hearing loss in recent years. In this review we discuss the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, including hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia; the effects of dementia with hearing loss on affected persons' quality of life and the care they receive; screening and available interventions; and opportunities for prevention. We also discuss dementia and hearing loss in the care home setting, as the majority of residents have either, or indeed both, dementia and/or hearing loss. Several mechanisms have been suggested for how hearing loss and dementia may be related but the evidence for how these may operate together is still unclear. Similarly, although it is to be hoped that the active identification and management of hearing problems may help to reduce the future development of cognitive impairment, evidence for this is still lacking.