Have your family, friends, and co-workers been asking you to invest in hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly avoiding it? Are you feeling that right now you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not missing enough to justify getting one?
Even if you feel like you’re doing fine at the moment, your hearing loss might catch up with you – and if that happens, it could possibly cost you more than $30,000 a year. Not only could you end up hurting yourself by neglecting your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by missing important medical or work details.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
If you can’t hear everything you need to, it will ultimately impact your work performance. Your inability to hear coworkers may be causing a breakdown in relationships and you could lose opportunities for upcoming projects because you failed to follow instructions on past projects. If you become socially secluded at work, you may be overlooked by people at all levels of the company. You might not be able to reach your max earning potential as these “small” things add up over time. People who are treating their hearing loss earn, on average, $20,000 more than people with neglected hearing loss as reported by research done by the Better Hearing Institute.
Unemployment rates are also higher for individuals with untreated hearing loss, according to another study. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as time passes, letting your hearing loss go unattended could wind up costing you lot’s of money.
Falls will cost you even more in medical bills
Untreated 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 who have even minor neglected hearing loss as reported by one study. also, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every added 10 dB of hearing loss. The vestibular system handles balance and researchers think there may be a connection between the amount of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it may also be plausible that someone with untreated hearing loss just gets disoriented in their environment because they’re overcompensating with their other senses. And when you have a fall it frequently results in a costly trip to the doctor.
Increased general health problems
But that’s not all. You may be missing some of the advice from your doctor if you have untreated hearing loss. If you miss information from your doctor, you may wind up having worse consequences in health matters, thus leading to more bills and more issues. All of these incidents add up to a major financial gap. Over time, substantially higher medical expenses will result from untreated hearing loss according to numerous studies. In one study, it was reported that these individuals will have a 40% increased risk of trips to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will pay out over $20,000. The University of South Carolina published a study that indicated a 33% increase in healthcare expenses for people with untreated hearing loss over an 18 month time period.
Moderate to profound untreated hearing loss can lead to a significantly higher risk of death according to a study circulated by Johns Hopkins University.
So it’s time for a hearing test if you want to protect yourself financially and physically. You might need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. If you do, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids these days are state-of-the-art, really comfortable to wear, and sound clear. Make your overall life better by taking advantage of this fantastic 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