Hearing loss is a common condition that affects roughly 48 million Americans. But despite how prevalent it is, only 20% of people who could benefit from hearing aids actually wears them. This can have major mental, physical, emotional and economic impacts. In fact, research shows that untreated hearing loss can affect your employment status and your income.
Hearing Loss & Risk of Unemployment
According to a report entitled “The Socioeconomic Impact of Hearing Loss in U.S. Adults,” people with hearing loss are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed or underemployed than people with normal hearing.
This statistic could be linked to the fact that people with hearing loss are approximately three times less likely to finish high school than those with normal hearing; however, the researchers in this study took educational attainment, age, sex and race into account when analyzing the data. Therefore, while hearing loss may contribute to lower education levels, it’s certainly not the sole cause of employment problems.
Hearing Loss & Risk of Lower Income
A study called “Hearing Loss Linked to Unemployment, Lower Income,” reports that people with hearing loss who are employed make 25% less than people who don’t have hearing loss. This equates to a mean wage of $23,481 for people with hearing loss compared to $31,272 for people without.
According to Dr. David Jung, coauthor of the study and fellow in otology and neurotology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, “Those are pretty striking associations, but it obviously needs a lot more study before we can draw some hard conclusions about what it all means and, more importantly, what needs to be done about it.”
What Can Be Done?
To prevent hearing loss from impacting your employment or your income, you should seek treatment at the first sign of trouble. As with most medical conditions, the sooner you seek treatment, the better your outcomes will be.
If you’re having difficulty following along during conference meetings or keeping up with conversations at business lunches at Calico County Restaurant, call the hearing experts at Amarillo Hearing Clinic today.
