Have your family, friends, and co-workers been requesting that you get hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly avoiding it? Are you feeling that presently you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not missing enough to justify buying one?
If your hearing continues to worsen, it could cost you as much as $30,000 per year, even if you assume that it’s fine for now. Not having part of your hearing means you might miss important work or medical details and opportunities, and you may end up hurting yourself physically, too.
Lost opportunities and unemployment
If you do not hear everything you’re supposed to, it will eventually impact your performance at work. You could lose out on future projects because you didn’t follow instructions on previous work, or your interaction with co-workers may have deteriorated because you couldn’t hear them. You could end up going unnoticed by people at all levels if you become socially isolated at work. These “small” things compound over time and impact your ability to attain your highest earning potential. A study by the Better Hearing Institute discovered that individuals who have untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who treated their hearing loss.
Unemployment rates are also higher for people with neglected hearing loss, according to other research. Individuals who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as time passes, letting your hearing loss go unattended may wind 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 have a fall. One study revealed that even people with mild neglected hearing loss raise their risk of falling by 300%. In addition, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every added 10 dB of hearing loss. The researchers speculated that there could be a connection between the amount of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which controls balance, or that people who have greater impairment just became more caught up in compensating for the loss than paying attention to particular physical dangers. And when you have a fall it frequently results in an expensive trip to the doctor.
Worse health consequences
But there’s more to it than just that. You might be missing some of the advice from your doctor if you have neglected hearing loss. When it comes to your health, you could have worse outcomes if you miss information and that can result in increased health costs. A huge 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 individuals were 40% more likely to end up in the emergency room. The University of South Carolina released a study that indicated a 33% increase in healthcare costs for individuals with untreated hearing loss over an 18 month period.
Moderate to profound untreated hearing loss can lead to a significantly higher risk of death according to a study published by Johns Hopkins University.
So, if you want to protect yourself both financially and physically, it’s time to get your hearing examined. You may need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. If you do, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids today are state-of-the-art, very comfortable to use, 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