Have you avoided the calls from friends, family, and co-workers to finally invest in a hearing aid? Are you feeling that presently you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not missing enough to justify purchasing one?
Even if you feel like you’re doing just fine right now, your hearing loss could catch up with you – and if that happens, it might potentially cost you upwards of $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 not hearing important medical or work details.
Unemployment and lost opportunities
If you can’t 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 past work, or your relationship with co-workers may have deteriorated due to your being unable to hear them. You could wind up being overlooked by people at all levels if you become socially isolated at work. You might not be capable of reaching your max earning potential as these “small” things add up over time. A study by the Better Hearing Institute revealed that individuals who have untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who dealt with their hearing loss.
Unemployment rates are also higher for individuals with neglected hearing loss, according to another study. A neglected severe hearing loss translates into a 15 percent higher risk of being unemployed. Not getting treatment, consequently, could cost you lot’s of money as the years go on.
Falls will cost you even more in medical bills
Untreated hearing loss can cause another financial hit by actually making you more likely to have a fall. One study discovered that even people with mild neglected hearing loss increase their risk of falling by 300%. In addition, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every additional 10 dB of hearing loss. The researchers conjectured that there might be a link between the degree of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which deals with balance, or that individuals with greater impairment just became more caught up in compensating for the loss than paying attention to particular physical hazards. And of course, those falls lead to more medical expenses, and consequently more money out of your pocket.
Increased general health problems
But there’s more to it than only that. If you are unable to hear well, you could miss instructions from your doctor. When it involves your health, you could have worse results if you miss details and that can lead to increased health costs. A huge financial gap will be the consequence. Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to substantially higher medical costs over time. In one study, it was revealed that these individuals will have a 40% increased risk of trips to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will pay out more than $20,000. The University of South Carolina published a study that revealed a 33% increase in healthcare costs for individuals with untreated hearing loss over an 18 month time period.
Another study from Johns Hopkins University suggested that individuals with neglected moderate to profound hearing loss had a considerably higher chance of death.
So it’s time for a hearing exam if you want to protect yourself physically and financially. You might need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. If you do, you’ll probably be fairly surprised. Hearing aids nowadays are state-of-the-art, really comfortable to use, and sound clear. Take advantage of the available technology to improve your life in all aspects.
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
