Hearing Aid Use Adherence

The only prior RCT applying a behaviour change technique to hearing aid adherence recruited participants without dementia risk and measured only hearing aid hours, not cognitive outcomes. Significant adherence gains can emerge after as little as six weeks of behaviour intervention, justifying a 2-month intermediate assessment. Poor hearing aid adherence likely attenuates the cognitive benefits that consistent use would otherwise produce. Caregiver dropout in the trial is defined as two consecutive missed weekly PRO submissions, with researchers proactively intervening rather than waiting reactively. People with dementia are 2.07 times more likely to discontinue hearing aid use within one year of adoption compared with the general population. Individuals with MCI have greater difficulty using hearing aids due to impaired working memory, executive dysfunction, and emotional problems.