Have your family, friends, and co-workers been requesting that you invest in hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly avoiding it? Are you feeling that right now you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not losing enough to warrant buying one?
Even if you believe you’re doing just fine right now, your hearing loss could catch up with you – and if that happens, it might potentially cost you more than $30,000 a year. Not only could you end up hurting yourself by dismissing your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by missing important medical or work information.
Unemployment and lost opportunities
If you don’t hear everything you need to, it will eventually impact your performance at work. Your inability to hear coworkers may be causing a breakdown in relationships and you could lose opportunities for upcoming projects because you failed to follow instructions on past projects. You could wind up being overlooked by people at every level if you become socially isolated at work. You might not be able to reach your max earning potential as these “small” things multiply over time. People who treat their hearing loss earn, on average, $20,000 more than people with neglected hearing loss as reported by a study done by the Better Hearing Institute.
Unemployment rates are also increased for individuals with neglected hearing loss, according to another study. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. Not getting treatment, therefore, could cost you a lot of money as time goes by.
Falls will cost you even more in medical bills
You’ll have a higher likelihood of having a fall if you have untreated hearing loss which can deal you another financial blow. One study found that even individuals with slight untreated hearing loss raise their risk of falling by 300%. Additionally, for every 10 dB increase in hearing loss, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls. The vestibular system manages balance and researchers think there might be a link between the amount of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it might also be plausible that somebody with untreated hearing loss just gets disoriented in their environment because they are overcompensating with their other senses. And when you have a fall it frequently leads to a costly trip to the doctor.
Increased general health issues
But that isn’t it. You may be missing some of the advice from your doctor if you have neglected hearing loss. When it comes to your health, you could have negative results if you miss details and that can result in increased health costs. A huge financial gap will be the consequence. Multiple studies have linked neglected hearing loss to considerably increased medical expenses 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 go to the emergency room. More recent research from the University of South Carolina indicated that neglected hearing loss led to a 33% increase in healthcare costs over an 18 month period.
Moderate to severe neglected hearing loss can lead to a substantially higher danger of death according to a study circulated by Johns Hopkins University.
So, if you want to protect yourself both financially and physically, it’s time to get your hearing checked. Depending on the results of that test, you might need to get hearing aids. If you do, you’ll likely be fairly surprised. Modern hearing aids are extremely clear and comfortable. Take advantage of the available technology to improve your life in all respects.
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
