DSN supports research into possible links between deafness and dementia

A Cheshire charity is set to generate national impact by backing research into possible links between deafness and dementia.

Deafness Support Network (DSN), Cheshire’s leading provider of services and support to people of all ages in the area who have a hearing loss, has taken the pioneering decision to back one of its volunteers to undertake a three-year PhD.

Jenna Littlejohn is no ordinary volunteer. The 23-year-old from North Yorkshire already has degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Neurology and written two academic papers on dementia and sleep disorders.

Jenna wanted to know more about deafness and deaf culture and discovered DSN on the internet. After making contact and starting as a volunteer last year, she now works at DSN’s Chester office in an administrative role.

Jenna explains:

Dementia mainly affects people over 60, and 50% of people over 60 will have some degree of hearing loss. Both these groups share similar symptoms and it isn’t always clear whether the cause is their dementia or their hearing loss.

With the national drive by the Prime Minister to improve dementia research, we soon realised what a difference we could potentially make to the lives of tens of thousands of people across the UK in the years ahead if we undertook research incorporating these two groups.

Jenna’s three-year research will be carried out in conjunction with Sheffield University’s neuropsychology department and the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, one of the world’s leading centres for research into neurodegenerative disorders.

She will be mentored by leading academics Neuropsychologist Professor Annalena Venneri and Consultant Neurologist Dr Daniel Blackburn. Her research will start in October 2014 and aims to involve more than 1,000 volunteers from specialist clinics and dementia care homes in Cheshire and Sheffield.

Jenna explained: “It’s clear that people with any form of hearing loss are disadvantaged in the process of assessing the risk and onset of dementia and this jeopardises accurate diagnosis. It’s even more challenging with people whose first language is British Sign Language where effective testing is virtually impossible and simply using an interpreter is not an effective substitute.

“The research will further explore the links between hearing loss and dementia. We hope to develop a methodology through which we can more effectively diagnose dementia risks for those with hearing loss and vice versa. We hope to identify methods to prevent or delay dementia onset in people with hearing loss wherever possible, and also prolong the quality of life for those who develop the disease.”

She added: “Social isolation is one of the single biggest factors in dementia, and deafness can cause acute social isolation. This is timely research and I’m really privileged to be part of it and grateful to DSN for enabling me to launch the project.”

DSN Operations Manager Gill Reeder commented:

We’re immensely excited to be embarking on this trailblazing research with Jenna. To be able to get involved in something that will have a real impact on the quality of life of people across the UK – and their families – is an amazing opportunity.

The timing is perfect, given the Government’s current emphasis on promoting the early diagnosis of dementia in what is a rapidly ageing population.