Have you avoided the calls from friends, family, and co-workers to finally invest in a hearing aid? Do you think that presently you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not losing enough to warrant purchasing one?
If your hearing keeps getting worse, it could cost you up to $30,000 per year, even if you think that it’s fine for 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 details.
Unemployment and lost opportunities
If you can’t hear everything you need to, it will eventually effect your work performance. You could lose out on future projects because you couldn’t follow instructions on previous work, or your relationship with co-workers may have deteriorated due to your being unable to hear them. You could end up being overlooked by people at all levels if you become socially secluded at work. These “small” things add up over time and impact your ability to attain your full earning potential. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute discovered that people who have untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who dealt with their loss of hearing.
Unemployment rates are also increased for people with untreated hearing loss, according to another study. Individuals who don’t treat their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as time passes, neglected hearing loss may end up costing you lot’s of money.
Falls will cost you even more in medical expenses
Neglected hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to have a fall. The danger of falling is raised by 300% for people who have even minor untreated hearing loss as detailed 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 might be a link between the level of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it may also be possible that someone with neglected 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 expenses, and consequently more cash out of your pocket.
Worse health consequences
But there’s more to it than only that. If you can’t hear well, you could miss information from your doctor. When it involves your health, you could have worse outcomes if you miss information and that can lead to increased health costs. All of these occurrences add up to a significant financial gap. Over time, significantly higher medical costs will result from neglected hearing loss according to several studies. One study said the average increase was more than $20,000 over a ten year period and that these people were 40% more likely to go to the emergency room. The University of South Carolina published a study that revealed a 33% increase in healthcare expenses for people with untreated hearing loss over an 18 month period.
Moderate to severe untreated hearing loss can result in a significantly higher risk of death according to a study published by Johns Hopkins University.
So it’s time for a hearing test if you want to protect yourself financially and physically. Depending on the results of that test, you may have to get hearing aids. If you do, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids these days are state-of-the-art, really comfortable to use, and sound clear. Take advantage of the available technology to make your life better in all aspects.
References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time