285 Hearing Loss and Brain Health - Why Better Hearing May Aid in Supporting Healthy Longevity with Robert C Keefer PhD

Could difficulty hearing conversations today affect your brain health, independence and quality of life in the years ahead? Hearing loss is often treated as a minor inconvenience of growing older, yet it can affect communication, relationships, social connection, confidence and independence. In this episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with hearing-health advocate and author Robert "Bob" Keefer, MD, about the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline, why so many people delay seeking help for hearing deficits and what questions to ask before choosing a hearing-care provider. Listeners will learn how hearing is assessed, why the fitting of a hearing aid matters, and how proactive hearing care may support brain health and healthy longevity. Dr. Gillian also shares her own experience of unequal hearing following a minor head injury, feeling she had no time to follow up, and her decision to arrange a new audiology assessment after this podcast.

Bob Keefer,is a physician, hearing-health and Alzheimer's-prevention advocate, author and former founder of an audiology clinic. After discovering that many hearing-care professionals were not consistently using their profession's recommended fitting practices, he created a clinic centred on evidence-informed care. His books, Hear Better, Live Longer and The Alzheimer's Hearing Aid Paradox, explore the relationship between hearing, cognition and quality of life, as well as the importance of properly assessed and fitted hearing aids.

Episode Timeline:

00:11 — Welcome to Growing Older Living Younger

00:30 — Why hearing health matters for brain health and independence

04:31 — Bob Keefer's path from medical-product consulting to hearing-health advocacy

07:59 — Why millions of people delay hearing tests and hearing aids

11:19 — Dr. Gillian's personal experience with unequal hearing after a head injury

13:56 — When family members notice hearing loss first—and how to start the conversation

16:23 — Hearing loss, cognitive decline and dementia: what the research can and cannot show

24:02 — How better hearing may improve connection, confidence and quality of life

26:03 — Choosing a hearing-care provider and asking about real-ear measurement