“We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never wore them,” said Janet Choi, MD, MPH, an otolaryngologist with Keck Medicine and lead researcher of the study. “These results are exciting because they suggest that hearing aids may play a protective role in people’s health and prevent early death.”
While the study did not examine why hearing aids may help those who need them live longer, Choi points to recent research linking hearing aid use with lowered levels of depression and dementia. She speculates that the improvements in mental health and cognition that come with improved hearing can promote better overall health, which may improve life span.
This is the classic causation vs correlation problem with these studies. I can also speculate: Did the hearing aid actually do anything at all - or do the people that go to the doctors for a hearing aid also go to the doctors for other problems they might have and so get more treatment for other conditions? That seems far more likely to have a bigger effect IMO.