At the end of December 2021, an updated version of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease was published to add an additional goal to “accelerate action to promote healthy aging and reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease.”
In 2011, the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) (Public Law 111-375) was signed into law and requires the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the National Alzheimer’s Project to create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer’s disease.
On December 27, 2021, a ninth update to the national plan was published and included the following two action items related to increasing access to hearing aids in recognition of linkage between untreated hearing loss and dementia.
- (NEW) Action 6.B.2: Increase access to hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss.
Lead Agency: Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Hearing loss has been identified as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease/Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD), and recent research has demonstrated that hearing aid use is associated with reduced dementia risk. Hearing aids are often expensive, making them inaccessible to many individuals who could benefit.
- (NEW) Action 6.E.3: Reduce financial barriers to hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss.
The Academy has been actively engaged on this topic and is a member of the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s coalition—a group comprised of many organizations promoting healthy aging, equity, and brain health.
Related Posts
Telehealth HIPAA Compliance Flexibilities Extended as the Public Health Emergency Ends
During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), many federal telehealth rules were made flexible to accommodate the need for continued access to health care, including allowing covered health-care providers to provide telehealth services to patients through remote technologies that may not have fully complied with the requirements of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act…
Congressional Budget Office Publishes New Health Insurance Coverage Projections
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released updated projections of health insurance coverage through 2033 for people younger than age 65 over. The share of Americans younger than age 65 who are uninsured is currently at a historic low of 8.3 percent. CBO attributes this to temporary policies instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,…
Academy Recommends Changes to Proposed Amendments to New York EHDI Screening Protocol
The New York Department of Health recently proposed shifting to a two-tiered testing protocol in the New York Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programs (UNHS) to “be consistent with nationally recognized standards established by the Joint Committee of Infant Hearing (JCIH).” The New York proposal would mandate utilizing an otoacoustic emissions (OAE) screening followed by an…