We all change as we age. It's one of those inescapable facts of life. But no matter what age we may be, it turns out there are some very simple things we can do that help keep our bodies and minds continuing at our highest potential. So we've searched high and low to identify the “five pillars” generally considered to be the most influential for healthy ageing. And as we'll see, hearing plays a central role in all of them.

Ground-breaking research from the University of California reveals that when we hear words, it's giving the brain what might be described as an all-over work out. As we learn more about this, we could find that hearing has far more important implications for keeping our brains healthy than we've realised up to now.