Tag: Hearing Aids Paducah

One of the most common complaints about hearing aids is the price. For somebody that has never seriously looked into hearing aids before this can be a tough hurdle to get past. The price range on hearing aids is pretty large depending on the style, amount of power and level of technology that is required to fix your hearing loss. This is usually why people wait so long to correct their hearing problem. Coincidentally, this is why patients should sit down with a knowledgeable specialist that they trust to walk them through the hearing aid buying process. Taking to the internet to do your research is all well and fine, but if you don’t know what you are looking for or the differences between products, it can make the process far more difficult that it has to be. Spending that kind of money is not “small potatoes” by any means, so we encourage our patients to look at correcting their hearing as an investment in themselves and their overall health.

First, let’s look at the “cost” of having untreated hearing loss if you are still working. A study by the Better Hearing Institute found that “hearing loss was shown to negatively impact household income on-average up to $12,000 per year, depending on the degree of hearing loss”. The obvious reason is that people with untreated hearing loss have a communication barrier that those with good hearing (or hearing loss that has been treated properly) don’t have to worry about. Anybody that is in the workforce can attest to the fact that good communication is a big key to success. For those people that don’t want to invest in fixing their hearing, they could end up paying a lot more in the long run.

There is also the impact of untreated hearing loss on the overall cost of healthcare. A study performed by the Medical University of South Carolina found that people between age 55 and 64 with untreated hearing loss had significantly higher healthcare costs over an 18-month period compared to their “better hearing counterparts”. Those with an untreated hearing loss had healthcare costs that were 33% higher! These higher medical bills were attributed to a lack of doctor’s visits. This lack of visits was due to difficulty communicating with the doctor, nurses, etc. Difficulty communicating is frustrating and embarrassing, so people put off their medical problems as long as they could to avoid these situations. In simple terms, they were sicker patients by the time they went in to the doctor’s office and therefore required more time and care to get better.

We haven’t even touched on some of the other aspects of correcting your hearing loss. Such as the impact of untreated hearing loss and a higher risk rate of dementia. The connection between maintaining your independence and fixing your hearing problems is another strong correlation. The thing we hope you can take away from this post is that fixing your hearing is an investment. And it is an investment that will continue to pay for itself. So, don’t cost yourself money by waiting till your moderate hearing loss becomes severe.  Make the investment in better hearing and a better quality of life today. You’ll be amazed at the return on that investment.

If you are ready to talk about investing in your hearing, we would love to help.  Give Purchase Ear Technology in Paducah, KY a call today at (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway, Paducah, KY 42001.  You may also click here to send us a message.

So you’ve got a little hearing loss. What’s the big deal, right? It happens to almost all of us as we age.

FACT: 37.5 million Americans 18 and older have hearing loss, including one out of every three, 60 and older.

You can cope, you’ve decided. You’ll just turn the TV up a little louder. Ask people to speak up or repeat what they said. And hey, the quiet can be kind of nice, to be honest. “Why should I treat it,” you wonder?

Should you treat or ignore your hearing loss?

The decision to treat or ignore hearing loss should not be taken lightly. Why? Because hearing loss plays a significant role in many important issues that impact our quality of life, including five important ones:

1. Mental health
2. Physical health
3. Income and career
4. Personal safety
5. Relationships and social interactions

Before you decide whether to ignore or treat your hearing loss, read what studies, health care experts, and hearing aid wearers themselves have to say about each choice.

Ignore or treat hearing loss — a side-by-side comparison

(1) Mental Health

Ignore hearing loss

Numerous studies link hearing loss to issues of mental decline, including increased anxiety and depression, accelerated brain shrinkage, and even dementia. One such study, by Johns Hopkins Medicine, tested volunteers with hearing loss over six years and found their cognitive abilities declined 30-40% faster than peers with normal hearing.

Treat hearing loss

Johns Hopkins’ researcher, Dr. Frank Lin, thinks that “if you want to address hearing loss well, do it sooner rather than later.” He recommends treating hearing loss before “brain structural changes take place.”

A separate study released in 2015 backs him up. In the study, scientists concluded that treating hearing loss by wearing hearing aids reduces the risk of cognitive decline associated with hearing loss.

FACT: Untreated hearing loss may result in serious long-term consequences to healthy brain functioning.

(2) Physical Health

Ignore hearing loss

The National Council on Aging notes that “falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans.” While no one knows how many falls are linked to hearing loss each year, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found that people with hearing loss are three times more likely to fall than those without hearing loss.

It’s thought that hearing loss may detract from environmental awareness, which increases the likelihood of tripping and falling.

Treat hearing loss

Recently, a study by the Washington University School of Medicine found that improving hearing through hearing aids appears to “improve balance in older adults with hearing loss” and helps reduce the risk of falls. Researchers credited the results to both increased alertness and improved balance.

(3) Income and Career

Ignore hearing loss

A study by the Better Hearing Institute quantified the impact of untreated hearing loss on the job. The study found that people with untreated hearing loss can see an income hit of up to $30,000 annually, and were nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as peers who wore hearing aids.

Treat hearing loss

That same study found that people who use hearing aids reduced the risk of income loss by 90 to 100 percent. It also reported that most hearing aid users in the workforce said wearing hearing aids has helped their performance on the job.

(4) Personal Safety

Ignore hearing loss

Studies aren’t needed to know that missed or misheard signals like car horns, alarms and other warning alerts can jeopardize a person’s safety. And it doesn’t always have to be one’s own. Adults caring for infants and young children need to know when their charge is crying or in distress.

Treat hearing loss

Treating hearing loss with hearing aids enhances your awareness of your surroundings and can help ensure you hear every smoke detector, bike bell, emergency alert or distress call.

(5) Relationships and social interactions

Ignore hearing loss

More than anything, untreated hearing loss can lead to social isolation, as the challenges of listening and feelings of “missing out” often cause people to withdraw from the friends, family and activities that bring them joy.

This, alone, is significant, as social isolation is closely linked to numerous quality-of-life issues, including depression, illness, exhaustion and even shorter life spans.

Treat hearing loss

Treating hearing loss with hearing aids enables you to hear, participate, and ensure you don’t miss out on the people and activities that make you happy. It’s as simple as that.

Ready to treat your hearing loss?  Call Purchase Ear Technology today at (270) 558-3996 for an appointment or visit our office at 2008 Broadway, Paducah KY.