Are hearing aids actually worth the money? The cost is often a worry for individuals who deal with hearing loss. You wouldn’t pick homelessness above investing in a new house. The actual value of hearing aids is about much more than the price tag.
You really need to ask yourself what the consequences of not buying hearing aids will be and what the real value of wearing hearing aids is.” As it turns out, there is a monetary cost for deciding not to buy hearing aids. Your decisions should also factor in these expenses. Recognize why you will save money over time if you choose to buy hearing aids.
If You Decide to Purchase Cheaper Hearing Aids, You Will Wind up Spending More
While searching the hearing aids marketplace, you will probably encounter cheaper devices which seem to be less costly. If you shop for hearing aids on the internet, you will probably find some that are cheaper than a nice dinner.
You get what you pay for in quality with over-the-counter hearing devices. When you purchase these devices, you’re in reality buying an amplification device like earbuds, not a real hearing aid. They just amplify all of the sound around you, including noises you don’t want amplified.
Customized programming is the best feature of a high-quality hearing aid, that you don’t have if you purchase a cheap hearing device. You can obtain an excellent sound by having a quality hearing aid tuned to target your particular hearing needs.
Over the counter hearing devices also use cheap batteries. Shelling out large amounts of extra money on batteries will get expensive. You could wind up switching out batteries a couple of times every day if you decide on a cheap amplification device. The battery is very likely to fail when you most need it, also, so prepare to carry 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?
Higher quality hearing aids last much longer because they are made with more efficient electronics. Many models don’t even need replacement batteries at all because they are rechargeable.
Issues With Your Career
It’s possible that you will earn less if you decide not to wear hearing aids or to wear cheap ones. A 2013 study published in The Hearing Journal says that less money is made by people with hearing loss – up to 25 percent less, and often have a hard time maintaining a job at all..
And why? There are a lot of variables involved, but communication is important in just about every trade and that’s the major factor. You need to be capable of hearing what your boss says so that you can give good results. And in order to assist consumers or clients, you need good listening skills. You’ll most likely end up missing out on the whole content of the conversation if you are always trying to hear what people are saying. To put it simply, if you cannot participate in conversations, it’s very hard to succeed at work.
You will also endure a physical toll from trying to here on the job. You will find yourself physically worn down from the energy spent trying to understand what people are saying and stressed out about whether you heard them right. Some impacts of stress:
- Your ability to sleep
- Your immune system
- Your relationships
- Your overall quality of life
All of these have the possibility of impacting your work efficiency and bringing down your income as a result.
Needing to go to the ER more frequently
Loss of hearing comes with safety concerns. Without appropriate hearing aids, it will become dangerous for you to cross 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 tornado alert or smoke alarm?
For a good number of jobs, hearing is necessary for workplace safety such as construction sites or production factories. That means that not using hearing aids isn’t only a safety hazard but also something that can limit your career options.
Financial safety is a factor here, also. Did the cashier say that you owe 25 dollars or 85? What did the salesperson say regarding the functions of the Television you’re checking out and do you really need them? Perhaps the less expensive style would be all you would need, but it is hard to know if you’re unable to hear the clerk talk about the difference.
Brain Health
One of the most important issues that come with hearing loss is the increased chance of dementia. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that Alzheimer’s disease costs people more than 56,000 dollars each year. Dementia accounts for 11 billion dollars in Medicare costs annually.
The chance of getting dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is a risk factor linked to hearing loss. Someone who has neglected their hearing loss for a long time increases their chance of brain impairment by five fold. The risk of getting dementia goes up by three times with modest hearing loss and doubles with even minor hearing loss. Hearing aids reduce these dangers.
There is little doubt that a hearing aid will cost you a bit. If you look at all the problems that come with not getting one or buying a cheaper device, it’s undoubtedly a sound financial decision. Consult a hearing care professional to find out more about hearing aids.