Auditory Wellness is critical to physical, emotional, and social well-being as well as overall wellness. Auditory Wellness impacts processing of speech sounds, complex sounds, and sound in space, all of which enable an individual to fully participate in a wide range of desired daily listening activities without limitations or restrictions. There are negative health consequences related to untreated hearing loss leading to poor Auditory Wellness, as well as growing evidence that improving Auditory Wellness with hearing intervention leads to improved health outcomes.  We will review the impact of improved Auditory Wellness within the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) Study [Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03243422; NIH funded R01AG055426]. Auditory Wellness among the ACHIEVE participants improved after 6-months with hearing intervention compared to control, and continued to be better through 3-year follow-up. With improved Auditory Wellness, the trial results also indicated improved social engagement, reduced fatigue, reduced falls, reduced brain thinning, and reduced cognitive decline in higher-risk groups.  These findings suggest that clinical recommendations for older adults with hearing loss should encourage optimal Auditory Wellness that could potentially have positive downstream effects on many aspects of health and wellbeing.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the design of the ACHIEVE Study and the interventions evaluated. Reflect on if the ACHIEVE hearing intervention is like the hearing healthcare you may provide.
2. Define Auditory Wellness and describe how patient-centered hearing intervention provided in the ACHIEVE study influenced auditory wellness.
3. Describe the effect of improved Auditory Wellness on health and wellbeing.