Have your friends, family, and co-workers been asking you to get 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 purchasing one?
Even if you feel like you’re doing ok at the moment, your hearing loss could catch up with you – and if that happens, it might possibly cost you more than $30,000 a year. Not only could you end up hurting yourself by neglecting your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by not hearing important medical or work information.
Unemployment and lost opportunities
If you can’t hear everything you need to, it will eventually effect your work performance. You could get passed up for future projects because you couldn’t follow instructions on past work, or your relationship with co-workers could have deteriorated due to your being unable to hear them. If you become socially secluded at work, you may be overlooked by people at all levels of the company. You might not be capable of reaching your full earning potential as these little things add up over time. People who are treating their hearing loss earn, on average, $20,000 more than people with neglected hearing loss as reported by a study done by the Better Hearing Institute.
Unemployment rates are also increased for people with neglected hearing loss, according to another study. Individuals who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as time passes, neglected hearing loss may end up costing you lot’s of money.
Extra medical bills due to falls
Untreated hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to have a fall. The danger of falling increases by 300% for people who have even slight untreated hearing loss as detailed by one study. In addition, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls for every added 10 dB of hearing loss. The vestibular system handles balance and researchers believe there may be a connection between the amount of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it may also be plausible that someone with neglected hearing loss just gets lost in their environment because they’re overcompensating with their other senses. And when you fall it frequently results in an expensive trip to the doctor.
Increased general health problems
But that isn’t it. You may be missing some of the guidance from your doctor if you have untreated hearing loss. If you miss information from your doctor, you might end up having worse consequences in health matters, thus leading to more bills and more problems. All of these incidents add up to a significant financial gap. Numerous studies have connected untreated hearing loss to significantly higher medical expenses over time. In one study, it was revealed that these individuals will have a 40% higher risk of trips to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will shell out more than $20,000. A more recent study from the University of South Carolina indicated that untreated hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare expenses over an 18 month time period.
Another study from Johns Hopkins University suggested that people with untreated moderate to severe hearing loss had a considerably higher risk of death.
So it’s time for a hearing exam if you want to protect yourself physically and financially. Depending on the test results, you may need to invest in hearing aids. If you do, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised. Modern hearing aids are extremely clear and comfortable. Make your total 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