Whether hearing loss is truly a cause of cognitive decline or merely a risk factor associated with the ageing brain, the decline of cognitive abilities into dementia is set to explode financial models of health and social care in Western societies and requires urgent attention.
In fact, Age UK goes as far as arguing it is just as important as the physical activity bit as loneliness is a risk factor for both cognitive and physical decline.
And there is tremendous controversy on this head, especially on whether success at Lumosity games is a factor of repetition and gamesmanship, rather than innate cognitive ability.