Feature Story

Why Hearing Loss Deserves Earlier Attention in Dementia Prevention

Brent Tipping, a geriatrician at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Center (WDGMC), says that hearing loss more than doubles the odds of dementia, with visual impairment (both near and far) also elevating the risk.

In a study that Tipping coauthored, researchers examined hearing, vision, and dementia among 567 older adults in Agincourt, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Participants were drawn from the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa. The study was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia in 2025.

While the findings do not establish that hearing loss directly causes dementia or that treating it prevents the condition, the results point to the critical importance of hearing and vision interventions for overall brain health."

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