Hearing Loss Costs More Than the Ability to Hear

Of the 48 million Americans that report some degree of hearing loss, 60 percent are presently in the workforce. That means millions of Americans head out to work each day with less than optimal hearing.

We know that hearing loss adversely influences general physical, social, and mental health, but what about the financial consequences? Does hearing loss impact salary, and does the treatment of hearing loss help?

The Better Hearing Institute set out to find answers to these questions in a study titled The Impact of Untreated Hearing Loss on Household Income. Here’s a short review of the study, the results, and the ramifications.

The Study

The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) began by mailing a brief screening survey to 80,000 households throughout the US. This helped to identify approximately 16,000 individuals with hearing loss.

Using the list of 16,000 people with hearing loss, more extensive surveys were delivered to the following two groups:

1. A random sample of 3,000 individuals with hearing loss that currently own hearing aids.
2. A random sample of 3,000 people with hearing loss that do not own hearing aids.

The 7-page survey included questions about demographics, hearing loss, hearing aid use and satisfaction, long-term plans, and work information. Each respondent was additionally asked multiple questions about their hearing loss extent, which resulted in one of four categories from mild to profound.

With all of this information, the researchers could now:

1. Compare income to the amount of hearing loss
2. Compare earnings to those who utilized hearing aids and those who did not

The results reveal that hearing loss has an effect on income

Those with profound hearing loss were found, on average, to earn $12,000 less per year than those with mild hearing loss. The results also plainly showed that as the degree of hearing loss increased, income fell proportionally.

And the total economic cost to society?

According to the study, the estimated cost of lost earnings due to untreated hearing loss in the United States is $122 billion, which results in a projected $18 billion of unrealized federal taxes.

However, all is not lost. The study also confirmed, most significantly, that wearing hearing aids was found to reduce the income effects of hearing loss by 50 percent.

Implications for professionals with hearing loss

Does the use of hearing aids really lead to an increase in income? Isn’t it a possibility that people that have a higher salary are simply in a better position to pay for hearing aids, so are therefore more likely to own and use them?

It’s a legitimate question, but there’s numerous reasons to think that wearing hearing aids can, in fact, increase income, through greater work productivity. In relation to employment, hearing loss can:

• Take people out of the job market, or out of contention for promotion, producing higher levels of unemployment and underemployment.
• Cause people to make mistakes on the job, limiting promotions.
• Create communication barriers, restricting productivity. Most jobs demand effective verbal communication, and this is considered as a major ingredient of job performance.
• Reduce overall social and mental quality of life, resulting in depression, exhaustion, hindered cognition, and a corresponding drop in job performance.

For these reasons, treating your hearing loss will likely enhance your job performance, and, as a result, your earning potential.

What are your thoughts? Have you dealt with problems at work due to hearing loss, and have hearing aids helped?