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Is there an association between untreated hearing loss and dementia?

On World Hearing Day, we look at the association between untreated hearing loss and dementia.

In 2025, an estimated 433,300 Australians are living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, these numbers are predicted to double by 2058*. Nearly half (45%) of dementia cases are associated with several potentially modifiable risk factors. Among these, hearing loss is estimated to account for 7% of the risk of all dementia cases worldwide, however, to date, only the ACHIEVE clinical trial study has investigated the effect of hearing intervention, reporting negative results.**

It is unclear if the reported association between hearing loss and dementia is causal, and if the clinical remediation of hearing impairment can indeed reduce the rate of cognitive decline among older adults at risk of dementia.

To address this gap, a groundbreaking Australian clinical trial named HearCog was conducted by a former Young Tall Poppy recipient Associate Prof Dona Jayakody, Audiologist and Head of Brain and Hearing at Ear Science Institute Australia. “We just finished the HearCog trial and are very excited to find out about the outcomes of the study to find out whether by treating hearing loss, we can delay the rate of cognitive decline in older people,” says A/Prof Jayakody. Hearing loss and impact on quality of life

“What we are already seeing from our Australian research studies is that hearing loss not only increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia; it also increases the risk of loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress and frailty, which impact quality of life of older adults.”

“When older people experience hearing loss, it affects their ability to communicate effectively with family and friends. This is particularly pronounced when older people depend upon a small network of family and friends and the communication partners are required to speak loudly, repeat conversations and so on.”

“If the conversation is broken down between two people – even between partners, the person with hearing loss becomes emotionally and socially lonely.”

Get tested: hearing tests to improve quality of life

Treating hearing loss has many benefits including improved communication and quality of life. If you are struggling to understand speech, especially in noisy environments, having difficulty hearing people on the phone, often ask people to repeat themselves etc, it is the time to get your hearing tested.

Read about Dr Jayakody’s work at Ear Science Institute at https://www.earscience.org.au/research/#brain-and-hearing

*Sources: AIHW. Dementia in Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2023; and Lin et al., 2023.

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Include seagrasses in carbon credits to rally finance and drive ecosystem protection!

Professor Peter Macreadie, Director of the RMIT Centre for Nature Positive Solutions and the Blue Carbon Lab, along with a consortium of scientists at are calling for greater collaboration across science, policy and industry to help establish seagrass carbon credits and – ultimately – achieve real-world impact.

“Policy is key – it is the ‘stick’ we use to stop bad behaviour. But I also believe that ‘carrots’ are important. A ‘carrot’ in this context refers to seagrass carbon credits that provide financial incentives can be created for conservation and restoration. Basically finding ways to reward people for restoring a seagrass meadow.”

Protect and conserve: credits as a practical mechanism 

“While it is unfortunate that environmental markets are necessary to protect Australia’s ecosystems, they provide a practical mechanism to drive investment in their long-term sustainability,” says Macreadie.

“Australia has already lost an estimated 291,000 hectares of seagrass, with significant declines recorded on the eastern and southern coastlines, particularly in areas such as Westernport Bay, Cockburn Sound, and Moreton Bay.”

And the global picture? About one-third of the world’s seagrasses have been lost.

“These losses not only compromise carbon storage but also weaken coastal resilience, highlighting the urgent need for investment in protection and restoration,” Macreadie explains.

 

Opportunities for Australia

Macreadie points to credit systems in the US, Europe and APAC nations as powerful opportunities for Australia.

“Credit systems already exist for carbon, biodiversity, and nitrogen in various parts of the world, including the US, Europe, and some Asia-Pacific nations, where they have successfully driven investment in conservation and restoration. These credit systems present a significant opportunity for Australia, where seagrass restoration could be integrated into emerging environmental markets. 

Macreadie suggests several elements as part of a scale-up.

“Given the well-established scientific evidence of seagrass carbon sequestration, introducing a tailored seagrass credit framework could be a high-impact solution for scaling up conservation efforts.

 

Value to society

“Seagrass ecosystems provide immense value to society, from carbon sequestration and fisheries support to coastal protection and water filtration. While some of these services can be quantified and traded in markets—such as carbon credits—many others, like habitat provisioning for commercially and ecologically important species, nutrient cycling, and sediment stabilisation, remain largely outside of formal economic systems. 

“To unlock greater investment in seagrass conservation, we need to translate these non-market benefits into financial incentives, ideally through environmental credit schemes that recognise the full range of ecosystem services.

 

“In doing so, we boost the potential of the ‘stacking’ of credits and thereby making seagrass conservation and restoration projects more attractive to investors. This will have an important role to play in helping to mitigate against some of the high costs associated with seagrass restoration”.

Calling researchers, policymakers, environmental finance minds

“Seagrass ecosystems hold immense potential for climate solutions, yet they remain largely overlooked in carbon markets. Collaboration across science, policy, and industry is needed to change this. 

“Whether you're a researcher, policymaker, or involved in environmental finance, we invite you to join the effort to establish seagrass carbon credits and scale real-world impact. Get in touch to explore how we can work together to unlock the full value of these vital ecosystems.”

Contact Peter Macreadie at the RMIT Centre for Nature Positive Solutions at peter.macreadie@rmit.edu.au.