I recently saw a television ad for a hearing aid center in Hawaii which announced research findings linking hearing loss to Alzheimer's disease ... and then went on to pitch their hearing aid products.
The research is real (if not definitive):
Older adults who experience hearing loss may be at increased risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. And the risk of dementia likely increases as hearing loss worsens. (from WebMD)The problem, of course, is that getting a hearing aid doesn't do anything at all to diminish that risk. The advertiser in this case stooped to very crude (and false) scare tactics to sell a product.
I don't often get directly involved in false or misleading advertising issues. But, in this case, I think it's worth a call to the Better Business Bureau. Marketers have an image problem with the public - and cases like this don't help at all.
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