Have your friends, family, and co-workers been asking you to get hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly resisting? Are you feeling like your hearing loss isn’t that bad right now and purchasing a hearing aid isn’t worth it?
If your hearing keeps getting worse, it could cost you up to $30,000 each year, even if you think that it’s fine right now. Not only could you end up hurting yourself by dismissing your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by not hearing important medical or work details.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be impacted if you aren’t hearing everything you need to. You could get passed up for future projects because you didn’t hear instructions on past work, or your interaction with co-workers may have deteriorated because you couldn’t hear them. You could end up being overlooked by people at all levels if you become socially isolated at work. These “small” things compound over time and affect your ability to attain your full earning potential. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute found that individuals who have neglected hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who dealt with their loss of hearing.
Unemployment rates are also higher for people with neglected hearing loss, according to other research. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. Not getting treatment, therefore, might cost you a lot of money as the years go on.
Falls will cost you even more in medical expenses
Neglected hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to fall. The danger of falling is raised by 300% for people with even mild untreated hearing loss as reported by one study. And, for every 10 dB increase in hearing impairment, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls. The researchers conjectured that there could be a link between the level of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which controls balance, or that people who have more profound impairment just became more caught up in compensating for the loss than focusing on specific physical dangers. And obviously, those falls result in more medical bills, and consequently more cash out of your pocket.
Worse health outcomes
But there’s more to it than just that. If you are unable to hear well, you could miss information from your physician. If you miss information from your doctor, you may wind up having worse consequences in health matters, thus resulting in more bills and more problems. A huge financial gap will be the result. Numerous studies have connected neglected hearing loss to substantially increased medical costs over time. One study noted the average increase was more than $20,000 over a ten year period and that these people were 40% more likely to go to the emergency room. The University of South Carolina released a study that indicated a 33% increase in healthcare costs for people with neglected hearing loss over an 18 month period.
Moderate to severe neglected hearing loss can result in a substantially increased risk of death according to a study circulated by Johns Hopkins University.
So it’s time for a hearing exam if you want to protect yourself financially and physically. You may need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. If you do, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids these days are state-of-the-art, very comfortable to wear, and sound clear. Make your total life better by taking advantage of this wonderful technology.
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References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time
https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2022/july-hearing-loss-and-falls