Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

Earnings and employment

A new and extensive scientific report “Hearing Loss – Numbers and Costs” by Professor Emerita Bridget Shield, Brunel University in London with the assistance of Professor Mark Atherton, Brunel University, London documents the disparity in earnings between hearing aid users and non-users. According to the report there is considerable evidence that people with untreated hearing loss earn, on average, significantly less than people with normal hearing. People with an untreated hearing loss experience higher unemployment rates than people without hearing loss. The employment rate among people with hearing loss of working age is 83% of the employment rate among the population in general. Early retirement among people with a disabling hearing loss also means that the average income of people with hearing loss is below that of people with normal hearing.

Quality of life

The report documents that people with an untreated hearing loss experience lower quality of life. The more severe the untreated hearing loss, the greater the loss in quality of life. Quality of life is the general well being of individuals and societies, outlining negative and positive features of life. It observes life satisfaction, including everything from physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, safety, security to freedom, and the environment. Hearing loss has more of an impact on quality of life than many other chronic conditions such as blindness and vision impairments, Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

The effects of hearing loss on social, physical and mental health

Untreated hearing loss has a series of negative physical, mental and social consequences.

Untreated hearing loss can lead to social, physical and psychological problems. The effects of hearing loss are different for each individual, but most hearing-impaired people suffer some social, psychological and physical problems as a result of their hearing loss.

Some Social consequences are:

Reduced social activity or problems participating in social activities
Problems communicating with your spouse, friends or relatives
Problems communicating at work
Isolation and Withdrawal
Lack of Concentration
Some Psychological consequences are:
Embarrassment, shame, guilt and anger
Sadness or depression
Anxiety and Suspiciousness
Self-criticism and low self-esteem/confidence

Some Physical consequences are:

Tiredness and exhaustion
Headache
Stress
Eating and sleeping problems

Cost to society

The report also documents that for society as a whole, untreated disabling hearing loss means lost productivity, economic losses due to lower quality of life and an increased burden on social benefits such as unemployment benefits and pensions as well as increased health care costs due to comorbidities such as depression and cognitive decline and more hospitalizations in general. An in-depth study “The societal costs of severe to profound hearing loss in the United States”, which was published in the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 2000, vol. 16, estimates the societal costs of severe to profound hearing loss in the US to be $297,000 per person during that person’s life.

Treating hearing loss is cost-efficient

Treating hearing loss with hearing aids or other hearing solutions is very cost-efficient. Compared to the costs of an untreated disabling hearing loss, both for the individual and the society, the treatment of hearing loss is very cheap.

“There are so many benefits of treating a hearing loss that I can only recommended that if you have a hearing loss you should start wearing hearing aids or implants. And if you think you might have a hearing loss my best advice is to have a hearing test,” says secretary general Kim Ruberg, hear-it AISBL.

With all the risks of untreated hearing loss it’s a wise investment to treat your hearing so you can keep living the life you deserve. If you suspect you are living with hearing loss contact us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic to schedule a hearing test today.