Have your friends, family, and co-workers been requesting that you invest in 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 up to $30,000 per year, even if you assume that it’s fine for now. Not having a portion of your hearing means you could miss significant work or medical details and opportunities, and you could end up injuring yourself physically, too.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
If you can’t hear everything you need to, it will eventually effect your performance at work. You could get passed up for 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. If you become socially secluded at work, you could end up overlooked by people at all levels of the company. These “small” things add up over time and impact your ability to reach your full earning potential. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute discovered that individuals with neglected 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. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. Not getting treatment, therefore, could cost you lot’s of money as time goes by.
Falls will cost you even more in medical bills
Neglected hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to fall. The chance of falling increases by 300% for individuals with even slight untreated hearing loss as reported by one study. In addition, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every additional 10 dB of hearing loss. The researchers speculated that there might be a link between the level of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which handles balance, or that people with greater impairment just became more wrapped up in compensating for the loss than paying attention to particular physical hazards. And obviously, those falls lead to more medical expenses, and thus more money out of your pocket.
Increased general health problems
But that isn’t it. You could 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 outcomes in health matters, thus resulting in more costs and more issues. All of these occurrences add up to a significant financial gap. Several studies have linked neglected hearing loss to considerably 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. The University of South Carolina released a study that indicated a 33% increase in healthcare expenses for people with neglected hearing loss over an 18 month time period.
Moderate to profound untreated hearing loss can lead to a significantly higher danger of death according to a study published by Johns Hopkins University.
So, if you want to protect yourself both physically and financially, it’s time to get your hearing checked. You might need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. You will most likely get a pleasant surprise if you do. Contemporary hearing aids are extremely clear and comfortable. Take advantage of the available technology to improve your life in all respects.
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References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time
