For many Americans, health spending can be overwhelming at times. Depending on insurance coverage, an unexpected medical incident can be quite a financial burden. However, some health investments are well worth the ticket price. Preventative medicine is a quickly growing field, and experts can see that the investments made in health can have returns not only in abstract senses of wellbeing but also at the bottom line of the budget.
One form of health investment actually functions as a treatment cost and a preventative expenditure at the same time: getting treatment for hearing loss. When you invest in hearing aids, you will be resolving communication issues at the same time that you are preventing serious problems with health and wellness that might come down the line. You might even be accruing some financial benefits that you don’t expect.
Returns in Health and Wellness
When you get hearing aids, you are setting yourself up to receive benefits for health and wellness in the future. These benefits might come in the form of specific, hearing-related health problems, such as the higher likelihood of accidents and injuries that those with untreated hearing loss have. Those who wear hearing aids are less likely to make return visits to the hospital, as well, and many experts attribute this statistic to the improvement in conversation with healthcare professionals.
In addition to these direct returns to your health, hearing aids also reduce your likelihood of encountering mental health problems. Those with untreated hearing loss have higher rates of anxiety and depression, meaning that they have a greater need for mental health services. One of the strongest correlations with untreated hearing loss comes in the form of dementia. The statistics are quite clear that those who have untreated hearing loss have higher rates of cognitive dysfunction and dementia than their counterparts, and experts are continuing to research the nature of this condition.
When you get hearing aids, you are reducing your risk of serious cognitive issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s and it is difficult to put a price tag on that protective effect. When you think of hearing aids as an investment, you can see that the expenditure upfront connects you with benefits down the road, even in the most precious parts of life.
Returns in Financial Wellbeing
Not only can you enjoy the benefits of hearing aids in abstract ways, but there are concrete benefits to your financial wellbeing, as well. Those who have untreated hearing loss in the workplace tend to bring home less money than those who don’t have hearing loss.
The dollar amount associated with hearing loss is difficult to quantify, but a recent New York Times report estimated that the difference could be as much as $30,000 in annual salary differences between those with hearing loss and those without it. Why would the amount be so much? Workplace productivity can suffer for those with untreated hearing loss. Communication problems cause errors in the workflow, and those errors can be expensive for an employer.
Beyond the losses in terms of efficiency, workers with untreated hearing loss can put themselves and their coworkers at risk. In cases of emergency or heavy industry, communication ability is essential. When a person miscommunicates or fails to receive important information at work, it can start a chain reaction of risk and expense.
Making the Investment
If you are ready to invest in your hearing health, the first step is to schedule a hearing test with one of our hearing health professionals. The exam is simple, quick, and painless, and you will have the opportunity to consult with us on your needs and the kind of treatment that is right for you. Hearing aid technology has advanced quite a bit in recent years, and the latest treatments make it possible to reduce background noise while enhancing the voice of a speaker in a room with other competing voices.
The investment in your hearing will deliver returns far into the future, and the only step you need to take to begin the process is to schedule an exam. Why not take the opportunity today to point yourself toward these future benefits?