Have your friends, family, and co-workers been asking you to invest in hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly resisting? 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 fine at the moment, your hearing loss could catch up with you – and if that happens, it might potentially cost you upwards of $30,000 per 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.
Lost opportunities and unemployment
If you can’t hear everything you’re supposed to, it will eventually effect 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 due to your being unable to hear them. You could end up going unnoticed by people at every level if you become socially isolated at work. These ”little” things add up over time and impact your ability to reach your full earning potential. People who treat their hearing loss earn, on average, $20,000 more than individuals with neglected hearing loss as reported by research done by the Better Hearing Institute.
Research also indicates that people with untreated hearing loss have a higher danger of being unemployed. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. Not seeking treatment, consequently, could cost you a lot of money as time goes by.
Extra medical bills due to falls
Untreated hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to fall. The chance of falling increases by 300% for individuals who have even minor untreated hearing loss as detailed by one study. also, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every additional 10 dB of hearing loss. The vestibular system handles balance and researchers believe there might be a connection between the degree of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it might also be plausible that somebody with neglected hearing loss just gets disoriented in their environment because they’re overcompensating with their other senses. And when you have a fall it often leads to a costly trip to the doctor.
Increased general health issues
But there’s more to it than just that. 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 wind up having worse consequences in health matters, thus resulting in more bills and more issues. A major financial gap will be the result. Several studies have connected untreated hearing loss to significantly higher medical costs 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 suggested that untreated hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare costs over an 18 month time period.
Moderate to profound untreated hearing loss can result in a significantly increased danger 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 checked. You might need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. 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. Make your overall life better by taking advantage of this fantastic technology.
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References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time