Have your family, friends, and co-workers been requesting that you get hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly avoiding it? Are you thinking that your hearing loss is not that bad right now and getting a hearing aid isn’t worth it?
Even if you feel like you’re doing ok at the moment, your hearing loss could catch up with you – and if that happens, it might possibly cost you more than $30,000 a 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.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be effected if you’re not hearing everything you should. Your inability to hear coworkers could cause 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 may be overlooked by people at every level of the company. You might not be able to reach your full earning potential as these “small” things multiply over time. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute revealed that individuals who have untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than those who dealt with their hearing loss.
Research also indicates that individuals with untreated hearing loss have a higher danger of being unemployed. A neglected severe hearing loss translates into a 15 percent greater risk of being unemployed. So, as time passes, letting your hearing loss go unattended may wind up costing you lot’s of money.
Added medical bills due to falls
Neglected hearing loss can cause another financial hit by actually making you more likely to have a fall. One study found that even those with mild neglected hearing loss increase their risk of falling by 300 percent. And, for every 10 dB increase in hearing impairment, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls. The vestibular system handles balance and researchers think there might be a connection between the level of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it might also be possible that somebody with neglected hearing loss simply gets disoriented in their environment because they are overcompensating with their other senses. And obviously, those falls result in more medical bills, and consequently more cash out of your pocket.
Worse health consequences
But that isn’t it. You might be missing some of the guidance from your doctor if you have neglected hearing loss. If you miss information from your doctor, you might end up having worse outcomes in health matters, thus leading to more costs and more issues. A major financial gap will be the consequence. Over time, substantially increased medical costs will result from untreated hearing loss according to numerous 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 go to the emergency room. The University of South Carolina published a study that revealed a 33% increase in healthcare costs for people with untreated hearing loss over an 18 month time period.
Another study from Johns Hopkins University indicated that people with untreated moderate to profound hearing loss had a substantially higher risk of death.
So it’s time for a hearing examination if you want to protect yourself financially and physically. You might need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. You will probably get a pleasant surprise if you do. Hearing aids today are state-of-the-art, really comfortable to wear, and sound clear. Make your total life better by taking advantage of this amazing technology.
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References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time