Have you avoided the calls from family, friends, and co-workers to finally get a hearing aid? Are you feeling like your hearing loss is not that bad at the moment and purchasing a hearing aid isn’t worth it?
Even if you feel like you’re doing ok at the moment, your hearing loss might catch up with you – and if that happens, it could potentially cost you upwards of $30,000 per year. Going without a portion of your hearing means you could miss important work or medical information and opportunities, and you could end up injuring yourself physically, too.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
If you don’t hear everything you need to, it will ultimately impact your performance at work. You could lose out on future projects because you couldn’t hear instructions on previous work, or your relationship with co-workers may have deteriorated due to your being unable to hear them. You could end up being overlooked by people at all levels if you become socially secluded at work. These ”little” things compound over time and affect your ability to reach your highest earning potential. A study by the Better Hearing Institute discovered that people with untreated hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than those who dealt with their loss of hearing.
Unemployment rates are also increased for people with untreated hearing loss, according to another study. Individuals who don’t treat their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as the years pass, neglected hearing loss could wind up costing you lot’s of money.
Additional medical bills from falls
You’ll have a higher likelihood of falling if you’re dealing with neglected hearing loss which can deal you another financial setback. One study found that even individuals with mild neglected hearing loss raise their danger 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 level of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it may also be possible that somebody with untreated hearing loss simply gets lost in their environment because they are overcompensating with their other senses. And when you fall it frequently leads to a costly trip to the doctor.
Worse health outcomes
But there’s more to it than only that. You may be missing some of the advice from your doctor if you have untreated hearing loss. If you miss information from your doctor, you may wind up having worse consequences in health matters, thus resulting in more bills and more problems. All of these incidents add up to a major financial gap. Multiple studies have linked untreated hearing loss to significantly higher medical expenses over time. One study said 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. More recent research from the University of South Carolina revealed that neglected hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare expenses over an 18 month period.
Another study from Johns Hopkins University indicated that people with neglected moderate to profound hearing loss had a substantially higher risk of death.
So, if you want to protect yourself both physically and financially, it’s time to have your hearing checked. Depending on the test results, you might need to get hearing aids. If you do, you’ll likely be fairly surprised. Hearing aids nowadays are state-of-the-art, very comfortable to use, and sound clear. Make your total life better by taking advantage of this wonderful technology.
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References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time