Are hearing aids truly worth the money? People with hearing loss are usually concerned with the price tag. However, while a house is an expensive purchase, it’s considerably better than actually being homeless. What’s more, if you go beyond the price tag, you might find that hearing aids are an very intelligent financial choice.
Ask yourself, when buying pricey items, “what is the cost of deciding against hearing aids and what will I actually get from them?” Believe it or not, it will actually end up costing more if you make the decision not to buy hearing aids. Your eventual decision should really also take these costs into consideration. Think about some good reasons why buying hearing aids will help save you money long term.
You Will Wind up Paying More for Deciding on Bargain Hearing Aids
There certainly are cheap hearing aids available which seem more affordable. In fact, if you browsed on the Internet, you might get a hearing aid for less money than you pay for a meal.
You get what you pay for in quality with over-the-counter hearing devices. When you buy these devices, you are really purchasing an amplification device much like earbuds, not a hearing aid. They only turn the volume up on the sound around you, including background noise.
Customized programming is the number one function of a top-notch hearing aid, which you won’t get if you buy a low priced hearing device. A high-quality hearing aid can be specifically keyed to your hearing needs which can assist in stopping it from worsening.
There are also cheap batteries which low grade devices use for power. Needing to replace worn out batteries repeatedly can become expensive. If you wear the amplification device daily, you might wind up replacing the battery once or twice a day. The battery is most likely to quit working when you need it the most, too, so prepare to carry lots of extras around everywhere you go. When you total up the money you spend for the replacement batteries, do you actually save anything?
Better electronics allows the better quality hearing aids to have a longer life. Some also have rechargeable batteries, cutting out the need for repeated replacements.
Career Concerns
Opting to go without hearing aids, or buying cheaper ones will be costly at your job. A 2013 study published in The Hearing Journal says that adults with hearing loss make less money – up to 25 percent less, and are more likely to be unemployed.
Why is this? There are several reasons for this, but the dominant factor is that conversation is necessary in virtually every industry. You must be able to hear what your supervisor says to be able to give good results. You should be capable of listening to clients to assist them. If you spend the entire conversation attempting to figure out what words a person is saying, you’re much more likely missing the total content. Quite simply, if you can’t engage in verbal interactions, it is very hard to succeed at work.
The battle to hear what people are saying at the workplace exacts a toll on you physically, also. And if you do find a way to make it through a workday with inadequate hearing, the stress that comes with worrying about if you heard something right plus the energy needed to hear as much as possible will make you exhausted and stressed out. Stress impacts:
- Your immune system
- Your ability to sleep
- Your relationships
- Your quality of life
These all have the possibility to have an impact on your job performance and reduce your income as a result.
Regular Trips to The ER
There are safety issues which come with the loss of hearing. Without appropriate hearing aids, it becomes dangerous for you to go across the road or drive a vehicle. How could you avoid another vehicle if you can’t hear it? What about public warning systems like a twister warning or smoke alarm?
For a lot of jobs, hearing is a must for work-site safety practices like building and construction zones or processing factories. That means that not using hearing aids is not only a safety risk but something which can restrict your career choices.
Financial safety is a factor here, as well. Did the waitress say that you owe 25 dollars or 75? What did the salesperson say regarding the features of the Television you are shopping for and do you actually need them? Maybe the lower cost model would be all you would need, but it’s hard to know if you can’t hear the clerk describe the difference.
The Health of Your Brain
One of the most important problems which come with hearing loss is the increased chances of getting dementia. The New England Journal of Medicine says that Alzheimer’s disease costs people more than 56,000 dollars per year. Dementia makes up about 11 billion dollars in Medicare expenditure annually.
Hearing loss is a recognized risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and some other kinds of dementia. It has been calculated that someone with serious, untreated hearing loss multiplies their chances of brain impairment by five times. A moderate hearing loss comes with three times the chances of dementia, and even a minimal hearing issue doubles your likelihood. Hearing aids will bring the risk back to normal.
Without a doubt a hearing aid will set you back a little more money. When you look at the many other problems associated with not having one or buying a cheaper device, it’s undoubtedly a prudent financial decision. Make an appointment with a hearing aid specialist to find out more.
