Financially, Investing in Hearing Aids is a Prudent Decision
Are hearing aids really worth the cost? Hearing aids might appear to be a little expensive at first. And yet, when you invest in a house you never see the cost and say, “well being homeless is less expensive!” The real worth of hearing aids goes beyond the price.
When you’re buying a big-ticket item such as this you need to ask yourself, “what do I get from using hearing aids and what’s the expense of not getting them?” If you require hearing aids it will end up costing you more if you don’t purchase them. You need to factor these costs into your purchase as well. Hearing aids will save you money in the long run. Consider some reasons.
Over Time, Cheap Hearing Aids Tend to end up Being More Costly
If you are shopping the hearing aids market, you will definitely find cheaper devices which seem to be less expensive. You might pay more for a dinner than what a few cheap hearing aids on the internet would cost.
You can expect to get what you pay for in quality when you purchase over-the-counter hearing devices. When you purchase these devices, you are in fact getting an amplification device similar to earbuds, not a hearing aid. They just turn the volume up on the sound all around you, including unwanted noise.
Customized programming is the best function of a good hearing aid, that you won’t have when buying a low-cost hearing device. A good quality hearing aid can be specifically tuned to your hearing problem which can assist in stopping it from getting worse.
There are also bargain batteries which poor quality devices use for power. Spending lots of extra money on run-down batteries can be expensive. You could even have to change the batteries more than once daily. When you need them the most, these cheap batteries commonly quite working, so don’t forget to carry plenty of emergency batteries. Do you really save money if you need to exchange dead batteries on a daily basis?
Good quality hearing aids, on the other hand, have superior electronics and use less juice. Rechargeable batteries in the higher quality hearing aids means no more purchasing batteries.
Career Worries
Regardless of whether you choose to compromise with cheap hearing aids or go without them altogether, it’s a decision that will most likely cost you at work. A 2013 study published in The Hearing Journal says that adults that have hearing loss make less money – as much as 25 percent less, and are more likely to be unemployed.
Why? There are quite a few of reasons for this, but the basic explanation is that communicating is essential in virtually every industry. You must be able to hear what your boss is saying to be able to give good results. You must be able to listen to customers to assist them. If you spend the conversation attempting to hear what words a person is saying, you’re probably going to miss out on the overall message. To put it simply, if you cannot interact in verbal interactions, it’s very hard to succeed at work.
The effort to hear what people are saying on the job will take a toll on you bodily, also. And if you do manage to get through a workday with sub-par hearing, the stress that comes with wondering whether you heard something correctly and the energy required to make out as much as possible will keep you exhausted and stressed out. Some impacts of stress:
- Your immune system
- Your ability to sleep
- Your relationships
- Your quality of life
These all have the potential to effect your job performance and reduce your income as a result.
Having to go to the ER more often
There are safety issues which come with loss of hearing. Without appropriate hearing aids, it is risky for you to go across the street or operate a vehicle. How can you stay clear of another vehicle if you can’t hear it? What about public safety systems like a twister warning or smoke alarm?
For a number of jobs, hearing is a must for workplace safety such as building and construction sites or processing plants. That means that not wearing hearing aids is not just a safety hazard but also something that can limit your career possibilities.
Financial security comes into play here, as well. Did the waitress tell you that you owe 35 dollars or 85? What did the salesperson say about the functions of the microwave oven you are shopping for and do you actually need them? Perhaps the lower cost unit is the better choice for you, but it is hard to know if you can’t hear the clerk describe the difference.
The Health of Your Brain
One of the most critical concerns that come with hearing loss is the increased possibility of dementia. The New England Journal of Medicine says that Alzheimer’s disease costs people above 56,000 dollars per year. Dementia accounts for 11 billion dollars in Medicare expense per year.
Hearing loss is a recognized risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and some other kinds of dementia. It has been estimated that a person with severe, neglected hearing loss increases their chances of brain deterioration by five fold. A moderate hearing loss carries three times the possibility of getting dementia, and even a minimal hearing issue doubles your chances. Hearing aids bring the danger back to normal.
Certainly a hearing aid will probably cost a bit more. If you examine all the troubles that come with going without one or buying a cheaper device, it’s clearly a smart financial investment. Make an appointment with a hearing aid specialist to find out more.