Evaluating Hearing Aid Costs vs the Effects of Hearing Loss

Purchasing hearing aids requires a significant cost. Beyond the question of whether making the purchase is financially possible, it is often relevant to ask if the cost outlay is worthwhile. The answer to this second question requires consideration of the benefits of hearing aids on your life. How will spending this money help you? This article will outline the benefits of wearing hearing aids as well as some of the risks associated with hearing loss that can be avoided by using hearing aids. Considering these factors will help you make the decision about whether the cost of hearing aids is worthwhile for you.

Family and Social Life

Being connected to people is an important part of our health and well-being. Communication is crucial to maintaining that connectedness. Socialisation – whether it be with family or friends, often involve noisy situations that can be tricky to hear in. Having hearing aids can make all the difference between enjoying those situations and maintaining connections to people, versus not being able to participate, which can damage relationships and result in social isolation and a loss of quality relationships.

Navigating Life

As we move around our environment and navigate life’s requirements, we often need to communicate with people. It could be speaking to the doctor, asking a sales assistant a price of an item, talking to an insurance company, or any other situation that involves obtaining information verbally from another person. Not being able to hear in these situations can lead to miscommunication and simply make navigating life much more difficult than it would be if you were wearing hearing aids. Wearing hearing aids and making these situations easier to navigate also means you have more time and energy to enjoy the other activities that you might rather be doing. Therefore, wearing hearing aids makes it possible to navigate life’s staple requirements more easily and efficiently so you can get on with the fun parts of life.

Work Life

If you are still working, your hearing loss can have a significant effect on your work life. It can make it difficult to hear what is being said and lead to errors. It can also make working more stressful and tiring. This can lead to less opportunities to progress in the workplace. Workplaces are also important for social interaction, and not being able to hear makes it difficult to participate in that interaction. Not being socially integrated in your workplace can also affect the opportunities that are given to you in your workplace. So not being able to hear well in the workplace can affect both your enjoyment of work, and your career progression. By investing in hearing aids and wearing them in your workplace, you are better equipped to participate in work life and make the most of career progression opportunities and enjoy work.

Risks Associated with Hearing Loss

Having hearing loss and not using hearing aids increases the risk of having falls, of mental health issues and of cognitive decline. Hearing loss can result in difficulties effectively communicating with family and friends. This difficulty often leads to people avoiding those situations and become socially isolated which results in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

There is also a growing body of evidence that hearing loss is the biggest modifiable risk factor for dementia.1 That means if you have hearing loss and don’t wear hearing aids, you may be at an increased risk of developing dementia. Having hearing loss without wearing hearing aids can also increase your risk of having falls which can lead to broken bones, hospital stays and generally have a negative effect on your health. Untreated hearing loss can have significant effects on your long-term health. Wearing hearing aids helps you avoid these risks.

So, when it comes time to answer the question of whether hearing aids are worth the cost – consider the effect that not making that investment can have on your life and well-being. When you break down the cost over the years hearing aids will last into a weekly cost and compare to the effects of not having hearing aids, the cost does not seem so high compared to the benefits hearing aids offer you.

At Hearing Aid Specialists SA, our expert clinicians are here to guide you on the right hearing aids for your hearing loss and your needs. So, contact us today on 08 8267 2555 and make an appointment.