Hearing Loss Costs More than Your Hearing

People are often reluctant to seek treatment for hearing loss since it can be costly to get hearing aids. A good pair of hearing aids can set you back a good thousand dollars or more, depending on what types of features you require. It is because of this very fear of the cost of hearing aids that people should talk to their audiologist and seek their help in purchasing hearing aids.

When people neglect their hearing loss, they are in turn neglecting their overall health. Hearing loss has been linked to several other illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. This is why it is important to invest in your hearing health by getting hearing aids so that you can ward off other medical costs of more severe illnesses.

To be honest about the cost of getting hearing aids, an average household can endure annual costs of as much as $10,000. This finding was reported in the Better Hearing Institute. The actual number varies based on the type and severity of hearing damage a person has. This is why people may be reluctant to purchase hearing aids, but even though hearing aids are costly, they can save your life.

Hearing aids help prevent serious injuries and protect you from threats in the immediate environment. People without hearing aids are more prone to having accidents due to falling as a result of lack of balance. Hearing aids can prevent this from happening. They also keep you and your family safe by enabling you to hear essential sounds in moments of crises, such as fire alarms or an intruder. What cost would you be willing to put on the safety and well-being of yourself and your family?

Looking at the other side of the coin, if you do not treat your hearing loss, you could actually end up enduring medical and other costs of up to $1,000 each month because of your hearing loss. Although you may think that by not getting hearing aids you are saving money, but over time the costs of not treating your hearing loss can add up to a significant amount.

Not only does your hearing loss cost you money when you don’t treat it; it also costs you your physical and mental health. Apart from the physical problems mentioned earlier, untreated hearing loss has also been known to result in depression and anxiety. Hearing loss can result in you becoming socially reclusive and may also cost you your personal and professional relationships. Even your earning potential drops drastically since your productivity decreases at work due to hearing loss. People with hearing loss also face higher chances of losing out on promotions and even being fired!

The Medical University of South Carolina recently reported that people with untreated hearing loss face as much as 33% higher medical costs. These costs were a direct result of not treating their hearing loss, since many of the bills were due to repeated readmissions and lower visits from doctors during admission. Lower doctor visits were attributed to the patient’s hearing loss, since the patient had difficulty communicating their condition with the doctor.

In essence, people with untreated hearing loss not only endure hearing damage, but they also endure other health problems and enable them to get worse, simply out of embarrassment of admitting to their hearing loss in front of doctors.

The cost of hearing aids can be viewed as an investment in your mental and physical well-being. The cost of not treating your hearing loss, however, can cost you much more than just your hearing. It can cost you your health, wealth, relationships, and even your life.