Hearing loss is the biggest single dementia risk factor on the modifiable list — bigger than physical inactivity. Most people wait far too long to act. Start with the top 5 below.
Correction first. Compensation second. Hearing aids, glasses, and cataract surgery have the strongest evidence. Workarounds help — but they don't replace fixing the problem.
Hearing loss creeps in slowly. Most people don't notice it for years — by the time conversations get hard, the loss is well underway.
This is the single highest-leverage action in this whole pillar. A 30-minute test at an audiologist (or your GP) gives you a baseline. Don't wait until you're asking people to repeat themselves.
Less than 1 in 5 people who'd benefit from hearing aids actually wear them. The biggest barrier isn't cost — it's pride.
The ACHIEVE trial found hearing aids cut cognitive decline by about 50% in higher-risk adults. But only if you wear them daily. Part-time use weakens the benefit. Modern aids are far smaller than the ones your parents had — and over-the-counter aids for mild-to-moderate loss are now available in Australia without a prescription.
A proper eye check picks up more than just whether you need new glasses. It finds early glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic eye disease — all treatable when caught early.
The retina is actually brain tissue. An eye check is a window into your brain. Researchers are now exploring retinal scans as an early Alzheimer's marker.
People who have cataract surgery are about 25% less likely to develop cognitive decline over 7–10 years than people who don't.
Every month you wait is another month your brain is processing a fuzzy signal. If a surgeon has said it's time, the cognitive case is as strong as the vision case.
Noise damage is permanent and adds up. Every concert, lawn mower, power tool, and motorbike ride leaves a mark. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Cheap 29dB foam earplugs cost a few dollars. For headphones: keep volume below 60% and use noise-cancelling ones (so you don't crank the volume to drown out background noise).
Squinting through an out-of-date prescription forces your brain to work harder on every page, every screen, every conversation. It also raises fall risk and pulls you out of activities you used to enjoy.
Wearing your glasses is a brain decision, not a fashion one. If you haven't had a check in 2+ years, that's the first move.
Captions are built into every modern device and streaming service. They take less than 2 minutes to switch on. They reduce the brain workload of follow-along — particularly on phone calls and TV where the audio is compressed.
Most people put this off until their hearing has slipped a lot. Turn them on now as a habit, not a concession.
Even mild hearing loss makes background noise a brain tax. A noisy restaurant doubles the effort of every sentence — and you'll come home exhausted from a "fun" night out.
Pick the corner table. Suggest the quieter cafe. Have one good conversation instead of three half-heard ones.
Speaker behaviour matters. Facing you, not covering their mouth, turning down the TV before talking, not trailing off at the end of sentences — these all measurably improve how much you understand.
The people closest to you usually want to help. They just don't know what to do. Tell them.
Lip-reading gives your brain a second input channel — making conversation less effortful. It's not a replacement for hearing aids, but it works well alongside them.
Better Hearing Australia runs formal courses. Worth exploring before your hearing slips further.
Reading and learning are top brain-building activities. If your vision makes them harder, the answer isn't to stop — it's to switch the format.
Audiobooks. Large print. Text-to-speech on your phone. Better lighting at home matters more than most people think — your eyes lose contrast sensitivity with age, and dim lighting compounds the problem.
Loss of smell is increasingly recognised as an early sign of brain conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The smell nerves connect directly into your memory centre.
There's no treatment that brings smell back yet. But it's worth flagging with your GP as part of the bigger picture — sometimes it shows up years before any other symptom.
If hearing or vision is reduced, redirect your cognitive challenges toward the channels that still work. Visual arts. Tactile crafts. Cooking with a focus on smell and taste. Music with strong rhythm you can feel.
This isn't a substitute for fixing the underlying loss — but it keeps your brain richly stimulated while you do.
The Lancet Commission's 2024 update lists 14 things you can change that affect dementia risk. Hearing loss sits at the top — bigger than physical inactivity.
Why? When sound is muddy, your brain works overtime to fill in the gaps. That extra effort drains the same brain resources you need for memory and thinking. Hearing loss also nudges people out of social settings — which removes another major brain protector.
The good news: it's correctable. The bad news: most people wait far too long.
The ACHIEVE hearing trial (2023) is the gold standard. Across all participants, hearing aids didn't show a clear cognitive benefit. But in higher-risk adults — the people reMYnd is built for — they cut cognitive decline by about 50% over 3 years.
For cataracts: a meta-analysis of 6 million+ adults showed roughly 25% lower dementia risk after surgery — though one larger analysis found the effect was less clear when factoring in study design. The weight of evidence points to a real benefit, especially when surgery isn't postponed.
Bottom line: the evidence isn't perfect, but it's strong enough — and the cost of waiting is high.
Sensory health doesn't get a single focus month — it sits underneath everything else. Better hearing makes social connection easier. Better vision makes exercise safer and reading possible.
Most of the actions on this page are one-time appointments that pay off for years. Book them now and check them off the list.
reMYnd is a prevention program, not a clinical treatment. Speak with your GP, audiologist, or optometrist before acting on health concerns raised here. © reMYnd by Naomi Ferstera — remynd.com.au