Have you resisted the calls from family, friends, and co-workers to finally invest in a hearing aid? Are you feeling like your hearing loss is not that bad right now and purchasing a hearing aid isn’t worth it?
Even if you think you’re doing fine at the moment, your hearing loss might get a lot worse – and if it does, it could possibly cost you more than $30,000 per year. Not only could you end up injuring yourself by neglecting your hearing loss, you could also cost yourself income and lost opportunities by not hearing important medical or work details.
Lost opportunities and unemployment
Your job performance will be impacted if you aren’t hearing everything you need to. Your inability to hear coworkers may be causing a breakdown in relationships and you could get passed over on opportunities for upcoming projects because you couldn’t follow instructions on past projects. You could wind up going unnoticed by people at all levels if you become socially isolated at work. You may not be capable of reaching your max earning potential as these little things multiply over time. A study by the Better Hearing Institute discovered that people with neglected hearing loss earned, on average, $20,000 less a year than people who treated their hearing loss.
Research also suggests that people with neglected hearing loss have a higher risk of being unemployed. Individuals who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as time passes, letting your hearing loss go unattended could wind up costing you lot’s of money.
Falls will cost you even more in medical expenses
Neglected hearing loss can deal another financial blow by actually making you more likely to fall. The risk of falling increases by 300% for people with even mild neglected hearing loss as detailed 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 connection between the level of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which controls balance, or that individuals who have greater impairment simply became more caught up in compensating for the loss than focusing on particular physical dangers. And of course, those falls lead to more medical expenses, and consequently more money out of your pocket.
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 neglected hearing loss. When it comes to your health, you could have worse outcomes if you miss details and that can lead to increased health costs. A major financial gap will be the consequence. Multiple studies have linked neglected hearing loss to substantially higher medical expenses over time. In one study, it was revealed that these individuals will have a 40% higher chance of trips to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will pay out more than $20,000. The University of South Carolina released a study that revealed a 33% increase in healthcare costs for individuals with neglected hearing loss over an 18 month period.
Moderate to severe neglected hearing loss can result in a significantly higher danger of death according to a study circulated by Johns Hopkins University.
So, if you want to protect yourself both financially and physically, it’s time to have your hearing checked. You might need hearing aids depending on the results of that test. If you do, you’ll probably be fairly surprised. Hearing aids today are state-of-the-art, very comfortable to wear, and sound clear. Take advantage of the available technology to improve your life in all aspects.
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time