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Phonak Cognitive Well-Being

Phonak encourages a shift in the narrative from focusing solely on audibility to emphasizing the holistic benefits of hearing care, with a particular focus on the relationship between hearing health and cognitive health. Hearing care professionals play a vital role to enable clients to understand the link between hearing, cognitive health and overall well-being.


Cognition news & research

Hearing care professionals are intimately familiar with the challenges clients face with hearing loss. However, the potential impact of untreated hearing loss extends beyond communication difficulties, reaching into the realm of cognitive health. Recent research provides more evidence on the association between hearing loss and an increased risk of cognitive decline, particularly in older adults. The research landscape is constantly evolving, with more studies shedding light on the connection between hearing loss and cognition.

Explore the latest insights:

Cognition podcast

The ENHANCE study has been investigating whether remediation of hearing loss in older adults with hearing aids impacts cognitive health. Listen to the episode of "The Audiologist" with Prof. Julia Sarant, Professor and Lead Chief Investigator at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Lisa Bacic, Manager Audiology Thought Leadership at Phonak, to learn more.

Why hearing health matters

Hearing health vital to overall health which is why it can have an impact on your social, emotional, and overall well-being.

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Evidence

Phonak supports research and innovation in hearing healthcare. We are committed to driving evidence in the field of holistic hearing care and healthy aging.

Two recent studies, ACHIEVE (Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders) and ENHANCE (Evaluation of Hearing Aids and Cognitive Effects) incorporate longitudinal observations, best practice audiological management, randomized control hearing interventions, and comprehensive cognitive assessments to provide more insight into the relationship between hearing loss and cognition.

Both studies were supported by Sonova’s research program and an in-kind donation of Phonak hearing aids.

ACHIEVE study

The purpose of the ACHIEVE study is to determine whether best-practices hearing intervention and/or successful aging health education can slow the trajectory or prevent cognitive decline in older adults.

This study is a multi-center randomized control trial. The 977 participants were randomized to receive either hearing intervention or a healthy aging education program. 

The ACHIEVE study is led by Co-Principal Investigators Frank Lin, MD, PhD and Josef Coresh, MD, PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Highlights
Cognitive well-being: The ACHIEVE study
Cognitive well-being: The ACHIEVE study
ENHANCE study

In the ENHANCE study, 160 participants who received hearing intervention, including hearing aid fitting, were followed up for 3 years and their performance on a computerized battery of cognitive tests was compared to 102 participants of the Australian Imaging Biomarker & Lifestyle Study of Ageing (AIBL) who did not receive hearing intervention.

The ENHANCE study is led by Principal Investigator Professor Julia Sarant, PhD from the University of Melbourne. 3

Highlights

New

Promoting hearing and cognitive health in audiologic rehabilitation for the well-being of older adults. 

Sarant, J. et al. 2023

View  

Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. 

 Lin, F., et al. (2023, July 17)

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ECHHO Program

The Enhancing Cognitive Health with Hearing Optimization (ECHHO) program aims to equip hearing care professionals with resources to better integrate the topic of cognitive health into their discussions with clients.

The ECHHO program also provides a Clinical Enablement toolkit, containing multiple assets such as a leaflet, posters, conversation starters and social media posts among others. These can all be applied in the clinic and online to attract new clients and foster conversations.

Contact your local Phonak representative to learn more.

 
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More Insights

Improving the well-being of people with hearing loss

Phonak works together with researchers and experts to discuss the topic of well-being in the hearing health context. The result of this close cooperation are guidelines and tools that are easy to use in clinical audiology practice to deliver exceptional hearing care.

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Footnotes

1. Livingston, G.; Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ballard, C., Banejee, S. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6

2. Lin, F., et al. (2023, July 17). Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01406-X

3. Sarant, J., et al. (2023, July 16-20). Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Hearing Loss: Outcomes for treated vs untreated groups at 3-year follow-up [Conference presentation]. AAIC 2023 Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.