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Can cheap hearing aids help those with memory problems?

NCT ID NCT06112860

Symptom relief Sponsor: Northwestern University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study looks at whether over-the-counter hearing aids can improve communication for older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild to moderate hearing loss. Fifty participants and their communication partners will be randomly assigned to try hearing aids first or receive communication tips first. The goal is to see if these affordable devices make conversations easier and whether the benefit depends on the person's level of memory decline.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Over-the-counter hearing aid
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that affordable hearing aids help people with mild cognitive impairment communicate better and potentially ease social isolation.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with only 50 participants, so results may not apply widely. The benefit may be small or no better than simple communication tips.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 50 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2024

Expected to finish

Mar 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

60 to 90 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Over 60 years of age * Mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Diagnosis will be made at participating memory evaluation centers (see recruitment). * Mild to moderate bilateral hearing loss and no current hearing aid use. * A communication partner who is able and willing to participate in the study. * No vision impairment that would interfere with the ability to complete study tasks (i.e., legally blind, severe cataracts, or macular degeneration) * Able to provide own consent as evaluated by the Consent Assessment Exclusion Criteria: 1. Clinically significant unstable or progressive medical conditions, or conditions which, in the opinion of the investigator(s) places the participant at unacceptable risk if he or she were to participate in the study. 2. History of unresolved communication difficulties following another neurological problem (i.e., stroke or brain tumor), neurodevelopmental disorder (i.e., Down's syndrome), or head/neck cancer 3. Positive history of major psychiatric disorder (i.e., schizophrenia, significant untreated depression) 4. Co-enrolled in other intervention studies targeting hearing, language, or communication strategies. 5. History or current fluctuating hearing loss

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease Cognitive Dysfunction hearing loss disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) Hearing loss Mild cognitive impairment

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • La Crosse Mayo Clinic

    COMPLETED

    La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601, United States

  • Northwestern University HA Lab

    RECRUITING

    Evanston, Illinois, 60201, United States

  • UW Madison

    COMPLETED

    Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States

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