Have your friends, family, and co-workers been asking you to get hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly avoiding it? Do you think that right now you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not losing enough to justify getting one?
Even if you feel like you’re doing fine right now, your hearing loss might catch up with you – and if it does, it might possibly cost you more than $30,000 a year. Not having part of your hearing means you could miss important work or medical details and opportunities, and you could end up hurting yourself physically, too.
Unemployment and lost opportunities
Your job performance will be impacted if you aren’t hearing everything you should. You could get passed up for future projects because you couldn’t follow instructions on past work, or your relationship with co-workers could have deteriorated because you couldn’t hear them. You could end up going unnoticed by people at every level if you become socially secluded at work. These ”little” things add up over time and affect your ability to reach your highest earning potential. People who treat their hearing loss earn, on average, $20,000 more than individuals with neglected hearing loss according to research carried out by the Better Hearing Institute.
Unemployment rates are also higher for individuals with untreated hearing loss, according to other research. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as the years pass, neglected hearing loss could wind up costing you lot’s of money.
Extra medical bills due to falls
Neglected hearing loss can cause another financial hit by actually making you more likely to fall. The chance of falling is raised by 300% for individuals with even minor untreated hearing loss as detailed by one study. In addition, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every added 10 dB of hearing loss. The vestibular system manages balance and researchers think there may be a link between the level of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it may also be possible that someone with untreated hearing loss just gets disoriented in their environment because they’re overcompensating with their other senses. And of course, those falls result in more medical bills, and thus more money out of your pocket.
Worse health consequences
But that’s not all. If you are unable to hear well, you could miss instructions from your doctor. If you miss information from your doctor, you might wind up having worse outcomes in health matters, thus resulting in more bills and more problems. A huge financial gap will be the result. Over time, substantially increased medical expenses will result from neglected hearing loss according to numerous studies. In one study, it was revealed that these people will have a 40% increased chance of trips to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will shell out over $20,000. More recent research from the University of South Carolina suggested that neglected hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare costs over an 18 month 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, if you’re interested in protecting yourself both financially and physically, it’s time to have your hearing tested. Depending on the test results, you may need to invest in hearing aids. If you do, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids nowadays are state-of-the-art, really comfortable to wear, and sound clear. Take advantage of the available technology to improve your life in all aspects.
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
