October 06, 2022
Toronto, ON – October 4, 2022 – With more than half a million Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and no cure on the horizon, research and care is focused on prevention and protective interventions to help slow cognitive decline. In a recent study published in the
Lancet, hearing loss was reported as being the leading potentially modifiable risk factor, accounting for up to 8 per cent of new dementia cases. Baycrest has launched a new online screening tool to help detect hearing loss. The tool is available to the public at no cost and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Supported by Baycrest’s Audiology Department and the Baycrest Innovation Office, the online tool asks questions to identify individual hearing concerns, such as difficulty with conversations over the phone or in noisy environments, as well as other questions which can help guide Baycrest’s Hearing Services to assess one’s hearing ability and offer individualized solutions for hearing loss. The tool can be accessed on the
Baycrest website.
"Baycrest's new screening tool has the potential to slow cognitive decline and prevent dementia by identifying early risk factors for hearing loss. Most importantly, it can help improve the management of hearing loss, allowing older adults to live a more fulfilling life,” says Deb Galet, Vice President, Long-Term Care, Ambulatory Clinical Services, and Chief Heritage Officer.
Although hearing loss is very common among older adults, affecting two out of three of those over 70 years of age, it remains largely undiagnosed and untreated. Early identification and management of hearing loss helps to improve communication, social participation, and quality of life, and may help slow cognitive decline and the onset of dementia. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all adults aged 50 years and older be screened regularly for hearing loss to identify those who would benefit from hearing rehabilitation at the earliest possible stage.
About Baycrest
Baycrest is a global leader in research, innovation, education and care for older adults, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Baycrest is home to a robust research and innovation network, including one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute; the scientific headquarters of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, Canada’s largest national dementia research initiative; and the Baycrest-powered Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector.
Baycrest helps aging adults assess, monitor, maintain and enhance cognition through an innovative portfolio of evidence-based products and services offered through its brain health company, Cogniciti.
Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Through these initiatives, Baycrest has remained at the forefront of the fight to defeat dementia as our organization works to help individuals
Fear No AgeTM and create a world where every older adult enjoys a life of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment.
Founded in 1918 as the Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information, visit baycrest.org.
Media Contact
Orsolya Soos
Baycrest
416-785-2500 ext. 6579
Osoos@baycrest.org