Age-related hearing loss is very prevalent in older adults and is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and increased dementia risk. Funded by the Fu Tak Iam Foundation Limited, the School of Nursing (SN) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed the AI-enhanced Gamified Auditory-Cognitive Dual-Task Training System 2.0 (the System) that addresses hearing loss and dementia risk with an integrated innovative solution. In partnership with the Community CareAge Foundation (CCAF), the System has been incorporated into a three-year, territory-wide service under CCAF's CareAge Hearing Programme and is expected to benefit around 2,400 underprivileged older adults in Hong Kong.
A launch ceremony for the System was held today at the PolyU campus. It was officiated by Prof. David SHUM, Dean of the PolyU Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS); Prof. Janelle YORKE, Head of SN; Ms Yuki NG, Philanthropy Manager of the Fu Tak Iam Foundation Limited; Dr CHAN Wah-fat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CCAF; and Mr LEUNG Chun-hong, Chief Executive of CCAF. Project leader Prof. Ivy Yan ZHAO, Assistant Professor of SN and a member of the PolyU Research Institute for Smart Ageing, and other members of her research team also attended the event to celebrate the official launch of the System in local communities.
Prof. David Shum said that the System exemplified PolyU and FHSS's commitment to improving healthy ageing through interdisciplinary research and public engagement. Prof. Janelle Yorke also expressed her delight at the successful transfer of SN's research outcomes to community application. She noted that the official launch of the System marked a shift towards smart management of hearing and cognitive health for older adults living at home, bringing new momentum to the enhancement of homecare services for the elderly.
Dr Chan Wah-fat remarked that the collaboration between PolyU and CCAF had bridged a service gap in community healthcare. Mr Leung Chun-hong then introduced the CareAge Hearing Programme, which offers comprehensive hearing screening, specialist consultations, personalised care plans and hearing aids. It will also provide service recipients with free access to the System, aiming to further improve hearing care and address financial, informational and attitudinal barriers to care services facing older adults.
Breaking away from the traditional clinical approach of treating the ear and brain separately, the System focuses on the synergy between ear and brain and provides older adults with hearing loss with 12-week auditory-cognitive dual-task training. Incorporating everyday scenarios, the training combines speech-in-noise listening, rapid speech comprehension and competing-speaker tasks with cognitive games which target attention, memory, executive function and visuospatial skills. These tasks are designed to strengthen ear-brain connection, thereby simultaneously enhancing older adults' cognitive and daily listening abilities.
The 2.0 version of the System has been upgraded with AI technologies, enabling personalised listening materials based on users' preferences, hearing abilities and training progress. The AI-enhanced System is also equipped with intelligent functions such as speech recognition, automated spoken-response assessment, real-time feedback and interactive progress assessment, improving user engagement and training effectiveness.
At the ceremony, Prof. Ivy Zhao introduced the System's functionalities and its clinical application outcomes. Data have shown that older adults who trained with the System demonstrated significant improvements in concentration, memory and mental clarity, as well as reduced hearing-related handicap. An elderly user shared that the training had not only deepened her understanding of her own hearing loss but also improved her quality of daily life. In particular, in noisy environments such as near roads, she is now better able to clearly perceive surrounding sounds and subtle changes, greatly enhancing her safety and alertness.
Prof. Ivy Zhao introduced the System's functionalities and its clinical application outcomes.
Under the CareAge Hearing Programme, the AI-enhanced Gamified Auditory-Cognitive Dual-Task Training System 2.0 will be available free of charge for a three-year period to home-dwelling elderly persons aged 60 or above who meet financial eligibility criteria. The SN team will set up a support counter at CCAF's CareAge Health Centre to provide older adults with installation assistance, user training, in-person technical support and a telephone hotline.
