According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hearing loss affects one-third of older adults. As difficulty hearing can lead to communication challenges and social withdrawal, it can also increase the risk of dementia. Dementia includes diseases affecting memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities and affects 55 million people worldwide, per the World Health Organization.
Hearing loss accounts for 8 percent of the world’s dementia cases. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that global dementia cases will triple by 2050.