Have you resisted the calls from friends, family, and co-workers to finally get a hearing aid? Are you feeling that right now you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not losing enough to justify purchasing one?
If your hearing continues to worsen, it could cost you up to $30,000 per year, even if you think that it’s fine for now. Not having a portion of your hearing means you could miss important work or medical details and opportunities, and you could end up injuring yourself physically, too.
Missed opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be impacted if you’re not hearing everything you need to. You could get passed up for future projects because you didn’t follow instructions on past work, or your interaction with co-workers may have deteriorated due to your being unable to hear them. You could wind up going unnoticed by people at all levels if you become socially secluded at work. You may not be capable of reaching your max earning potential as these little things add up over time. Research conducted by the Better Hearing Institute revealed that people who have neglected hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who treated their hearing loss.
Research also indicates 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 seeking treatment, therefore, could cost you a lot of money as the years go on.
Extra medical bills due to falls
You’ll have a higher likelihood of falling if you’re dealing with neglected hearing loss which can deal you another financial blow. The chance of falling is raised by 300% for people who have even mild 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 vestibular system manages balance and researchers think there might be a connection between the level of hearing loss and how it impacts that system. Or, it may also be possible that somebody with neglected hearing loss simply gets disoriented in their environment because they are overcompensating with their other senses. And when you fall it often leads to an expensive trip to the doctor.
Worse health consequences
But there’s more to it than just that. 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 end up having worse outcomes in health matters, thus leading to more bills and more problems. All of these occurrences add up to a significant financial gap. Over time, substantially increased medical expenses will result from untreated hearing loss according to several studies. In one study, it was reported that these people will have a 40% higher chance of trips to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will pay out over $20,000. 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 time period.
Moderate to severe neglected hearing loss can result in a substantially higher danger of death according to a study published by Johns Hopkins University.
So it’s time for a hearing examination if you want to protect yourself physically and financially. Depending on the test results, you may have to invest in hearing aids. If you do, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Hearing aids these days are state-of-the-art, very comfortable to use, and sound clear. 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