As new research continues to illuminate the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, we’ve invested in a new tool designed to screen for the early signs of cognitive decline. Cognivue is a sensitive, easy to use diagnostic tool designed to provide patients with cognition information they can bring to their healthcare provider.
Dementia is an incurable and progressive mental illness that results in significant and permanent cognitive decline. Because there is no outright cure for this type of cognitive illness, one of the primary avenues of research associated with dementia is the identification or risk factors. Once dementia risk factors have been positively described, practitioners can make recommendations designed to limit those risks.A recent study published in the Lancet–a well respected and peer reviewed medical journal–gathers strong evidence that hearing loss is a major dementia risk factor. Indeed, according to the article, titled “Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care: 2020 Report,” hearing loss is the single most preventable dementia risk.
As a result, hearing and cognitive tests are often the first line of defense against dementia. That can be particularly important for several reasons:
Cognivue is a quick test lasting roughly five minutes or so, that screens:
The Cognivue screening process will also test for a variety of other cognitive benchmarks, collecting data in order to provide you with a picture of your cognitive health. Cognivue is not designed to be the final word on your dementia risk; instead, the screening tool works as a kind of early warning system, bringing possible red flags to your attention as early as possible.
The Cognivue diagnostic will provide you with a cognitive health result that is independent of your hearing score. Health professionals can use both your hearing results and your Cognivue results to paint a more accurate picture of your current cognitive health. Based on your scores, Cognivue will provide you with advice concerning lifestyle changes that aim to improve your overall cognition. The screening will also provide you with a report and data set that you can bring to your healthcare provider in order to better discuss next steps for managing your cognitive risks.
In this way, Cognivue provides hearing specialists with a screening tool that can help them accurately measure cognition and, in some cases, detect early signs of dementia. Because of the link between dementia and hearing loss, the people that hearing specialists see are likely to be disproportionately predisposed to dementia risk, making Cognivue an essential step in a hearing checkup.
1455 W. Court St.
Kankakee, IL 60901
815-242-9349
Mon & Wed: 9am-4:30pm (Staff only)
Tue & Thu: 8:30am-5pm (Doctor sees patients)
Fri: 9am-1pm (Staff only)
Fri: 2pm-5pm (Doctor sees patients)
Closed for lunch 12pm-1pm
29 West 34th St.
Steger, IL 60475
708-294-8589
Mon & Wed: 8:30am-5pm (Doctor sees patients)
Tue & Thu: 9am-4:30pm (Staff only)
Fri: 8:30am-12pm (Doctor sees patients)
Fri: 1pm-4:30pm (Staff only)
Closed for lunch 12pm-1pm