Half of Canadians will have a hearing loss by 75 years of age. Hearing loss increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Those with combined hearing loss and cognitive impairment are at increased risk for declines in everyday functioning and entry into long-term care. Importantly, hearing loss is the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. This presentation will describe the connections between hearing loss and cognitive decline, with an emphasis on what could be done to help reduce the risk of dementia and optimize everyday functioning and care.
Presenter:
Kathy Pichora-Fuller, Ph.D.
Kathy Pichora-Fuller is Professor Emerita in Psychology at University of Toronto and Adjunct Professor in Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. She translates her experimental research on auditory and cognitive aging to address the rehabilitative and communication accessibility needs of older adults with age-related hearing and cognitive impairments, with a focus on social engagement and healthy aging. She has won numerous awards including the International Research Award from the American Academy of Audiology and Eve Kassirer Lifetime Achievement Award from Speech-Language and Audiology Canada. Currently, she is President of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology, the audiology expert for the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, and is working with the World Health Organization and the International Federation on Ageing on a new initiative on “Hearing in Later Life”.
This integrated KTE webinar event is brought to you by brainXchange in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).
