Cognivue Thrive: Cognitive Testing at Independence Hearing

Independence Hearing offers Cognivue Thrive, a quick cognitive screening tool that can help detect early warning signs of dementia. As new research continues to illuminate the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, Cognivue Thrive is designed to give you and your healthcare provider objective data on your cognitive health, not just your hearing.

The Link between Hearing Loss and Dementia

Dementia is an incurable and progressive condition that results in significant and permanent cognitive decline. According to the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, hearing loss is one of the largest modifiable risk factors for dementia, meaning it’s one of the areas where early action can make a real difference. Hearing loss puts extra strain on the brain to fill in gaps in what you’re hearing, and that ongoing mental effort can affect memory and speech processing over time.

It’s not all bad news, though. Therapies and interventions related to treating hearing loss, such as hearing protection and hearing aids, have been shown to have a net positive impact.

As our doctoral-level audiologists, Kirsten Atwood, Au.D., CCC-A, Brenda Lasky, Au.D., and Norma Rivera Guttman, Au.D., already see patients who are disproportionately predisposed to dementia risk due to hearing loss, offering cognitive screening alongside hearing care is a natural extension of what we do.

Two older adults, a man and a woman, sit outdoors at a table, smiling and enjoying each others company. The man has gray hair and a beard; the woman wears a light hat. They appear relaxed and happy.

What Cognivue Thrive Screens for

With a quick test, Cognivue Thrive measures:

  • Memory performance
  • Visuospatial and executive function
  • Reaction time
  • Processing speed

The test takes roughly five minutes and works as an early warning system, bringing possible red flags to your attention as early as possible, well before symptoms might be obvious in everyday life.

What to Expect During the Test

Cognivue Thrive is self-administered using a simple, intuitive dial (called the CogniWheel) rather than a keyboard, touchscreen, or verbal responses. You’ll work through a short series of visual and memory-based exercises, and the test is designed to be objective and consistent from one person to the next.

Understanding Your Results

Your results provide a cognitive health score that’s entirely independent of your hearing test results. We’ll give you a report you can share with your primary care physician or neurologist to help guide your next steps for managing your cognitive risk, whether that’s monitoring, lifestyle changes, or further evaluation.

Protect Yourself from Dementia

Take a cognitive test today. Call us at (772) 248-4172. Our doctoral-level audiologists are here to help you take a proactive step for your brain health, alongside your hearing health.