Age-related hearing loss is one of the leading modifiable risk factors for developing dementia. Kimberly Mueller, PhD, CCC-SLP, delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Fall Community Conversation, highlighting the connection between hearing loss, cognitive decline and dementia, and offering strategies to protect hearing health and support brain function over time.
Watch Mueller’s keynote address on our YouTube channel.
Watch the 2025 Fall Community Conversation in its entirety on our YouTube channel.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Age-related hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline
- Hearing care is good for your brain health and quality of life
- Other types of hearing loss and risk of dementia must be researched
- Health disparities exist in hearing care access and use
RESOURCES
- American Speech-Language Hearing Association
- Wisconsin Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Hearing Loss Association of America, Wisconsin Chapter
- Alzheimer’s Association Wisconsin Chapter
MORE
Listen to “Listen Up! The Connections Between Hearing Loss, Hearing Interventions and Cognitive Decline,” on the Dementia Matters podcast.
Watch “Amplify Your Life, Sharpen Your Mind: How Managing Hearing Loss Can Help Your Memory” from the Healthy Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) quarterly education series.
“Exploring the link between hearing and brain health” appeared on our website on September 16, 2025.
