United Kingdom, Aug. 24 -- Hearing aids can stave off dementia.

A new study has found that people in their 60s who wear the devices reduce their risk of developing the illness by 61 per cent compared to those who do nothing to act on the initial stages of hearing loss.

There is mounting evidence that hearing loss plays a key role in dementia cases, as the "cognitive load" on the brain is increased as people strain to hear what others are saying.

Researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Pittsburgh in the US followed patients with hearing aids over the course of 20 years and discovered that the devices significantly reduced the chance of suffering from the cognitive condition - which can cause memory loss and change...