The bad news is that, treated or untreated, people will pay for their hearing loss. The good news is that those who take positive action and seek treatment via amplification will ultimately save themselves, on average, thousands of dollars in lost wages and future income.
This is the conclusion of a recent study conducted by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI). Surveying more than 40,000 households utilizing the National Family Opinion (NFO) panel, hearing loss was shown to negatively impact household income by up to $12,000 a year depending on the degree of hearing loss. However, the use of hearing instruments was shown to reduce the effects of hearing loss by 50 percent.
For America’s 24 million hearing impaired who do not use hearing instruments, the impact of untreated hearing loss is quantified to be $122 billion annually in lost wages. At a 15 percent tax bracket, the cost to the federal government could be well in excess of $18 billion in unrealized taxes.
According to a recent national survey by the BHI, more than 31 million Americans admit to hearing loss. Only 37 percent are at retirement age. The majority are either at school age or in the work force. Only 23 percent of hard-of- hearing Americans are being helped with hearing instruments, which are the necessary treatment for 90 to 95 percent of people with hearing loss.
When we talk of quality of life, healthy hearing is not just to enhance aesthetic pleasure of sounds in the person’s environment. Hearing loss has been shown to negatively impact nearly every dimension of the human experience including: physical, emotional and mental health, other’s perceptions of the person’s mental acuity, social skills, family relationships and self esteem as well as work and school performance.
Hearing is a critical sense for effective communication in the work force. Most employment situations require verbal communication in order to engage in commerce and deal with the public. Effective hearing is also critical to assure safety on the job. Unfortunately, untreated hearing loss is not hidden. It results in underachievement for nearly all who delay treatment while in the prime of their life. As Helen Keller said, “When you lose your vision, you lose contact with things. When you lose your hearing, you lose contact with people.”
For more information about hearing loss or available hearing aid technologies, please call Nola Aronson, M.A., Patrice Rifkind, Au.D., Ginny Newman, Au.D. or Nina Ball, M.S. at Audiology Associates at 661-288-1400. We are “Hear” to help!