Have you resisted the calls from family, friends, and co-workers to finally get a hearing aid? Are you feeling that presently you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not missing enough to warrant getting one?
If your hearing continues to worsen, it could cost you as much as $30,000 per year, even if you think that it’s fine right now. 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 information.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be effected if you’re not hearing everything you need to. Your inability to hear coworkers may be causing a deterioration in relationships and you could get passed over on opportunities for upcoming projects because you failed to follow instructions on past projects. If you become socially isolated at work, you could end up overlooked by people at every level of the company. These ”little” things add up over time and affect your ability to reach your highest earning potential. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute found that individuals who have untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who dealt with their hearing loss.
Research also suggests that individuals with neglected hearing loss have an increased chance of being unemployed. A neglected profound hearing loss translates into a 15 percent greater risk of being unemployed. So, as the years pass, neglected hearing loss could end up costing you lot’s of money.
Extra medical bills from falls
Neglected hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to fall. One study discovered that even people with slight untreated hearing loss raise their chance of falling by 300 percent. Additionally, for every 10 dB increase in hearing impairment, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls. The researchers speculated that there might be a connection 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 wrapped up in compensating for the loss than focusing on particular physical hazards. And when you fall it often leads to a costly trip to the doctor.
Increased general health issues
But that isn’t it. If you are unable to hear well, you might miss instructions from your doctor. If you miss information from your doctor, you may end up having worse consequences in health matters, thus leading to more bills and more issues. A huge financial gap will be the result. Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to considerably higher 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 end up in the emergency room. The University of South Carolina published a study that revealed a 33% increase in healthcare expenses for individuals with untreated hearing loss 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 risk of death.
So it’s time for a hearing assessment if you want to protect yourself financially and physically. Depending on the results of that test, you might have to get hearing aids. If you do, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids nowadays 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