Can personalised hearing support help protect cognitive health in older adults? UCL pilot makes case for larger trial 

A personalised intervention for hearing care could help protect cognitive health in older adults at risk of dementia, according to a pilot study from researchers at London's UCL and UCLH. This was a small trial study, supported by the NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, and its promising results mean the investigation can confidently move on to a large-scale study. Published in the journal Age and Ageing, the study was set in community memory clinics across three NHS Trusts and involved 58 patients aged 55 or older with untreated hearing loss. The results showed that 75% of participants receiving personalised hearing support used their hearing aids daily, compared to just 22% following standard care. The personalised intervention included four sessions to help people get the most from their hearing aids. These sessions covered fitting and adjusting the devices, setting personal communication goals, practical support to build hearing aid use into daily...