Are hearing aids really worth the cost? The cost is frequently a worry for people who have hearing loss. Even so, when you invest in a house you never see the price and think, “well, being homeless is less costly”! The real value of hearing aids is about a lot more than the price tag.
You really should ask yourself what the cost of not getting hearing aids will be and what the actual value of using hearing aids is.” The fact is, there is a monetary cost for choosing not to buy hearing aids. Your decisions should also factor in these costs. Keep in mind some good reasons why getting hearing aids will save you money long term.
You Will Wind up Spending More For Deciding on Cheaper Hearing Aids
While shopping the hearing aids market, you will undoubtedly come upon cheaper devices which appear to be less costly. You could even buy a hearing aid off of the internet costing less than a dinner.
When it comes to cheaper hearing aids, you get what you pay for. When you purchase these devices, you’re in reality buying an amplification device like earbuds, not a real hearing aid. They just amplify the sound all around you, including unwanted noise.
A high quality hearing aid is custom programable which isn’t a feature that cheaper devices offer. You can attain an excellent sound by having a quality hearing aid tuned to target your distinct hearing needs.
The batteries in over the counter hearing aids are also low quality. Shelling out large amounts of extra money on batteries can be expensive. You could end up swapping out batteries a couple of times each day if you go with a cheap amplification device. The battery is very likely to die when you most need it, also, so prepare to bring lots of spares around with you wherever you go. If you’re continuously replacing dead batteries, are you actually saving money in the long run?
More efficient electronics allow the higher quality hearing aids to have a much longer battery life. Some even come with rechargeable batteries, eliminating the need for repeated replacements.
Career Issues
Choosing to not wear hearing aids, or using cheap ones will be costly at your job. A 2013 study published in The Hearing Journal reports that people that have hearing loss make less money – as much as 25 percent less, and often have a hard time maintaining a job at all..
And why? There are lots of variables involved, but communication is important in just about every industry and that’s the dominant factor. If you’re going to give good results, you need to be able to hear what your manager is saying. You have to be able to listen to customers so that you can assist them. If you have to spend the whole conversation trying to figure out what words people are saying, you’re most likely missing the whole content. The bottom line is that it’s nearly impossible to succeed if you can’t be a part of the conversation.
There will also be a physical toll from trying to here on the job. Even if you manage to get through a day with compromise hearing, the stress that happens if you worry about whether you heard something correctly and the energy necessary to make out as much as you can, will make you exhausted and stressed out. Some impacts of stress:
- Your immune system
- The quality of your sleep
- Your overall quality of life
- Your relationships
As a consequence, your income will decline due to the effect on your work performance.
Having to go to the Emergency Room more frequently
Loss of hearing comes with safety concerns. Without quality hearing aids, it will be hazardous for you to go across the street or drive a vehicle. How can you stay clear of something if you can’t hear it? How about public warning systems like a twister alert or smoke alarm?
For jobs including a manufacturing facility or a construction site, you have to be able to hear so that you and your coworkers to stay safe. So your safety, as well as your career options, will be restricted if you don’t use the quality hearing aids you need.
Financial security is also a factor here. Did you overpay the waitress for dinner because you had a difficult time hearing her? Do you really require all those new tv features that you failed to hear the salesperson discussing with you? Perhaps the less expensive model would be all you would require, but it is difficult to know if you’re unable to hear the person talk about the difference.
Brain Health
The increased chance of dementia is one of the most significant issues with hearing loss. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that Alzheimer’s disease costs individuals more than 56,000 dollars each year. Dementia accounts for 11 billion dollars in Medicare expense annually.
Hearing loss is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and numerous other kinds of dementia. It is calculated that someone with severe, neglected hearing loss increases their possibility of brain impairment by five fold. A moderate hearing loss carries three times the chance of getting dementia, and even a minor hearing issue doubles your risk. Hearing aids return the danger to normal.
Of course, there is a cost to getting hearing aids. If you analyze all the worries that come with going without one or buying a lower quality device, it’s obviously a sound financial decision. Consult a hearing care professional to find out more about hearing aids.