Have your family, friends, and co-workers been requesting that you get hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly resisting? Are you thinking that your hearing loss is not that severe at the moment and getting a hearing aid isn’t worth it?
Even if you think you’re doing just fine right now, your hearing loss might catch up with you – and if it does, it might potentially cost you upwards of $30,000 per year. Not having part of your hearing means you could miss important work or medical details and opportunities, and you may end up injuring yourself physically, as well.
Unemployment and lost opportunities
If you don’t hear everything you’re supposed to, it will ultimately effect your performance at work. You could lose out on future projects because you couldn’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 every level if you become socially isolated at work. These ”little” things add up over time and affect your ability to attain your highest earning potential. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute found that people with untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than those who dealt with their loss of hearing.
Research also suggests that people with untreated hearing loss have an increased danger of being unemployed. Individuals who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as the years pass, letting your hearing loss go unattended could end up costing you lot’s of money.
Extra medical bills due to falls
You’ll have a higher likelihood of falling if you’re dealing with neglected hearing loss which can deal you another financial blow. The risk of falling increases by 300% for individuals with even slight untreated hearing loss as reported by one study. In addition, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every added 10 dB of hearing loss. The researchers conjectured that there could be a connection between the degree of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which controls balance, or that individuals who have more profound impairment simply became more caught up in compensating for the loss than paying attention to particular physical hazards. And obviously, those falls lead to more medical expenses, and consequently more cash out of your pocket.
Increased general health problems
But there’s more to it than only that. If you are unable to hear well, you might miss information from your doctor. If you miss information from your doctor, you may end up having worse outcomes in health matters, thus resulting in more costs and more issues. All of these occurrences add up to a significant financial gap. Over time, significantly increased medical costs will result from untreated hearing loss according to several studies. 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 end up in the emergency room. A more recent study from the University of South Carolina indicated that neglected hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare expenses over an 18 month time period.
Another study conducted by Johns Hopkins University suggested that people with neglected moderate to severe hearing loss had a considerably higher chance of death.
So, if you want to protect yourself both financially and physically, it’s time to get your hearing evaluated. You might need hearing aids depending on the test results. 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. Take advantage of the available technology to improve your life in all aspects.
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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