Have you resisted the calls from friends, family, and co-workers to finally get a hearing aid? Do you think that presently you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not losing enough to warrant purchasing one?
If your hearing continues to worsen, it could cost you up to $30,000 per year, even if you assume that it’s fine for now. Not only could you end up injuring yourself by dismissing your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by missing important medical or work details.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be impacted if you’re not hearing everything you need to. Your inability to hear coworkers may be causing a deterioration in relationships and you could get passed over on opportunities for future projects because you failed to follow instructions on previous projects. You could end up going unnoticed by people at all levels if you become socially isolated at work. You may not be able to reach your full earning potential as these little things multiply over time. 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 suggests that people with neglected hearing loss have a higher danger of being unemployed. A neglected severe hearing loss translates into a 15 percent greater chance of being 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 discovered that even people with mild untreated hearing loss increase their chance of falling by 300 percent. also, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every added 10 dB of hearing loss. The vestibular system manages balance and researchers think there might be a link between the level of hearing loss and how it affects that system. Or, it may also be possible that somebody with untreated hearing loss simply gets disoriented in their environment because they are overcompensating with their other senses. And obviously, those falls lead to more medical bills, and consequently more money out of your pocket.
Increased general health problems
But that’s not all. If you are unable to hear well, you could miss information from your doctor. If you miss information from your doctor, you could wind up having worse outcomes in health matters, thus resulting in more costs and more issues. All of these incidents add up to a major financial gap. Over time, substantially higher medical expenses will result from neglected hearing loss according to numerous studies. 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. A more recent study from the University of South Carolina suggested that neglected hearing loss led to a 33% increase in healthcare expenses over an 18 month period.
Another study conducted by Johns Hopkins University indicated that people with neglected moderate to profound hearing loss had a considerably higher chance of death.
So it’s time for a hearing assessment if you want to protect yourself financially and physically. You may 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, 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