Audiologist and author Dr. Robert Keefer reveals why untreated hearing loss is the single most modifiable risk factor for dementia — and why millions of Americans are still not getting the care they need.
What if the reason a message never lands isn't the language — it's that the listener simply can't hear it? This episode goes beyond translation to explore the neuroscience of sound, cognition, and a healthcare system that has quietly left millions behind.
In this episode:
• Why Johns Hopkins and NIH identified untreated hearing loss as the single most modifiable risk factor for dementia — above all other factors
• The "real ear measurement" standard that 80% of audiologists claim to use but don't — and the three questions every patient should ask before leaving the clinic
• Why Medicare's 1965 exclusion of hearing aids has never been corrected, and what that silence is costing the U.S. in Alzheimer's care
• The difference between medical-grade hearing aids and over-the-counter devices — and why getting the wrong one can convince you hearing aids don't work at all
Dr. Robert Keefer spent his career at the intersection of FDA approvals, clinical laboratory medicine, and audiology advocacy. After founding an audiology clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serving on the National Advisory Council to the NIH, he turned his frustration with the gap between science and policy into two books: The Alzheimer's Hearing Aid Paradox and Hear Better Live Longer. He now advocates publicly for Medicare hearing aid coverage and better clinical standards across the audiology profession.
Connect with Dr. Robert Keefer:
LinkedIn: [link]
Website: https://www.hearberterlivelonger.com
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