Have your friends, family, and co-workers been asking you to invest in hearing aids but you’ve been stubbornly resisting? Do you think that right now you really don’t need a hearing aid or that you’re not missing enough to warrant getting one?

If your hearing continues to worsen, it could cost you up to $30,000 each year, even if you think that it’s fine for now. Going without part of your hearing means you may miss important work or medical details and opportunities, and you could end up hurting yourself physically, as well.

Unemployment and lost opportunities

Your work performance will be effected if you’re not hearing everything you should. You could lose out on future projects because you didn’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 isolated at work, you could end up overlooked by people at all levels of the company. You may not be able to reach your max earning potential as these “small” things multiply over time. People who are treating their hearing loss earn, on average, $20,000 more than individuals with neglected hearing loss as reported by a study done by the Better Hearing Institute.

Research also suggests that individuals with neglected hearing loss have a higher chance of being unemployed. People who don’t address their hearing loss will be 15% more likely to be unemployed. So, as time passes, neglected hearing loss could wind up costing you lot’s of money.

Additional medical bills due to falls

You’ll have a higher chance of falling if you have neglected hearing loss which can deal you another financial blow. The danger of falling increases by 300% for individuals with even slight neglected hearing loss as detailed by one study. And, for every 10 dB increase in hearing impairment, there is a 1.4-fold increase in falls. The researchers speculated that there might be a connection between the degree of hearing loss and effects on the vestibular system, which controls balance, or that people with greater impairment simply became more caught up in compensating for the loss than paying attention to specific physical hazards. And of course, those falls result in more medical expenses, and thus more cash out of your pocket.

Increased general health problems

But that isn’t it. If you can’t hear well, you could miss information from your doctor. If you miss information from your doctor, you may end up having worse consequences in health matters, thus leading to more bills and more issues. A major financial gap will be the consequence. Numerous studies have connected untreated hearing loss to substantially increased medical expenses over time. In one study, it was revealed that these people will have a 40% increased chance of visits to the emergency room and over a ten year period, will pay out more than $20,000. More recent research from the University of South Carolina indicated that neglected hearing loss resulted in a 33% increase in healthcare expenses over an 18 month time period.

Another study from Johns Hopkins University suggested that individuals with untreated moderate to profound hearing loss had a considerably higher risk of death.

So, if you’re interested in protecting yourself both physically and financially, it’s time to have your hearing examined. You might need hearing aids depending on the test results. If you do, you’ll probably be fairly surprised. Modern hearing aids are incredibly clear and comfortable. Make your total life better by taking advantage of this wonderful technology.

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References

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/patients-with-untreated-hearing-loss-incur-higher-health-care-costs-over-time
https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2022/july-hearing-loss-and-falls