Have you resisted the calls from family, friends, and co-workers to finally get a hearing aid? Are you feeling that right now you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not losing enough to warrant buying one?
Even if you believe you’re doing ok at the moment, your hearing loss might get a lot worse – and if it does, it could potentially cost you more than $30,000 per year. Not only could you end up hurting yourself by neglecting your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by not hearing important medical or work details.
Lost opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be impacted if you aren’t hearing everything you need to. Your inability to hear coworkers may be causing a deterioration in relationships and you could lose opportunities for future projects because you couldn’t follow instructions on previous projects. You could wind up being overlooked by people at all levels if you become socially secluded at work. These ”little” things compound over time and affect your ability to attain your full earning potential. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute found that people who have neglected hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who treated their loss of hearing.
Research also indicates that individuals with untreated hearing loss have a higher chance of being unemployed. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. Not seeking treatment, therefore, could cost you a lot of money as the years go on.
Added medical bills due to falls
You’ll have a higher chance of having a fall if you’re dealing with untreated hearing loss which can deal you another financial setback. The risk of falling is raised by 300% for people who have even slight neglected hearing loss as detailed by one study. And, for every 10 dB increase in hearing impairment, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls. The researchers speculated 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 greater impairment just became more caught up in compensating for the loss than paying attention to specific physical dangers. And of course, those falls lead to more medical bills, and consequently more cash out of your pocket.
Worse health outcomes
But that’s not all. If you are unable to hear well, you could miss information from your physician. If you miss information from your doctor, you may end up having worse consequences in health matters, thus leading to more costs and more problems. A major financial gap will be the result. Over time, significantly increased medical costs will result from untreated hearing loss according to numerous studies. One study said the average increase was more than $20,000 over a ten year period and that these individuals were 40% more likely to end up in the emergency room. More recent research from the University of South Carolina revealed that neglected hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare costs over an 18 month time period.
Another study conducted by Johns Hopkins University indicated that people with neglected moderate to severe hearing loss had a significantly higher risk of death.
So, if you’re interested in protecting yourself both financially and physically, it’s time to get your hearing checked. Depending on the results of that test, you may have to get hearing aids. You will most likely get a pleasant surprise if you do. Hearing aids today are state-of-the-art, really comfortable to use, and sound clear. Make your total life better by taking advantage of this fantastic technology.
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
