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Hearing Better May Mean Earning More
 (NAPS)—People
with untreated hearing loss may see their income decrease by as much
as $30,000 a year, according to a national survey by the Better
Hearing Institute. But hearing aids were shown to reduce the risk of
income loss by 90 to 100 percent for those with milder hearing loss,
and from 65 to 77 percent for those with severe to moderate hearing
loss.
Most of the more than 34 million Americans with hearing loss are
either in the workforce or in school. The loss in income for people
with untreated hearing problems, due to underemployment, is estimated
at $176 billion.
Hearing is critical to effective communication in the workforce. The
ability to hear and listen well enables employees to be more
productive and understand the work that has been assigned. Poor
communication can result in unhappy customers, missed deadlines, poor
morale among co-workers and mistakes on the job. Effective hearing may
also be critical to ensure safety on the job.
In the study, those with unaided severe hearing loss had unemployment
rates double that of the normal-hearing population, and nearly double
that of their aided peers.
“People are losing their hearing earlier and staying in the
workforce longer,” says Sergei Kochkin, executive director of the
Better Hearing Institute. “In today’s tough job market, hearing your
best is essential for career success.”
Hearing aids remain the optimum treatment for the vast majority
of people with hearing loss. Yet only 40 percent of Americans with
moderate to severe hearing loss, and only 9 percent of those with mild
hearing loss, wear them.
Half of all people with untreated hearing loss have never had
their hearing professionally checked. To help, the Better Hearing
Institute has a five-minute hearing test at
www.hearingcheck.org. You can learn more about hearing loss and
how to help it at
www.betterhearing.org.
Income, Job Performance, and Unaddressed Hearing Loss
 How
an employee is perceived by employers is effected by how he or she
hears. Employees who aren't sure what an employer is asking can't
answer their best. In fact, listening is one of the top skills
employers seek in entry-level employees and in those being promoted.
And individual performance in an organization is found to be directly
related to listening ability or perceived listening effectiveness.
Maximizing one’s ability to hear well should be part of any smart
career strategy. The ability to hear and listen well enables employees
to be more productive. They are better able to understand the work
that has been assigned and the expectations that have been set. And
people who both hear and listen well are more likely to establish
positive working relationships with bosses, clients, and colleagues.
An alarming new study by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) reveals a
direct correlation between unaddressed hearing loss and earnings. The
national survey, entitled “The
efficacy of hearing aids in achieving compensation equity in the
workplace,” clearly demonstrates that hearing loss has a
significant impact on people’s ability to earn a livelihood. The study
underscores how critically important it is for workers to treat
hearing loss early in order to maximize their job performance and
earning potential.
According to Sergei Kochkin, PhD, BHI’s executive director and author
of the study: “The real tragedy in delaying hearing loss treatment is
that when left unaddressed, hearing loss negatively affects
individuals and their families for the rest of their lives in the form
of lost wages, lost promotions, lost opportunities, lost retirement
income, and unrealized dreams. But when people with even mild hearing
loss use hearing aids, they improve their job performance, increase
their earning potential, enhance their communication skills, improve
their professional and interpersonal relationships, stave off
depression, and
better their quality of life.”
To facilitate a timely hearing test for all U.S. workers, BHI is
offering an online hearing test (www.hearingcheck.org)
where people can quickly assess if they need a more comprehensive
hearing check by a hearing professional.
Key Study Findings
The
study, “The efficacy of hearing aids in achieving compensation equity
in the workplace,” is based on survey data received from close to
47,000 members of the National Family Opinion (NFO) panel, with
responses from nearly 3,232 adults with untreated hearing loss, 1,818
with hearing aids, and 34,351 with normal hearing.
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People with untreated hearing loss lose as much as $30,000 in
income annually, depending on their degree of hearing loss.
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Use of hearing aids was shown to reduce the risk of income loss by
90%-100% for those with milder hearing loss, and from 65%-77% for
those with severe to moderate hearing loss.
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The loss in income for people with untreated hearing loss due to
underemployment is estimated at $176 billion.
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The cost to society is estimated to be as high as $26 billion in
unrealized federal taxes.
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There is a strong relationship between the degree of hearing loss
and unemployment for those who do not use hearing aids.
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Those with severe hearing loss had unemployment rates (15.6%)
double that of the normal-hearing population (7.8%), and
nearly double that of their peers (8.3%) who use hearing aids.
Key Facts on Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids
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Hearing loss remains one of the most commonly unaddressed health
conditions in the United States today.
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The vast majority of people with hearing loss could benefit from
hearing aids.
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More than 34 million Americans suffer from hearing loss—about 11%
of the U.S. population.
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60% of Americans with hearing loss are in the workforce.
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Only 40% of Americans with moderate to severe hearing loss and 9%
of those with mild hearing loss wear hearing aids.
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Fewer than 15% of those who received a physical exam in the last
year said they received a hearing screening by their physician or
nurse during that exam.
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Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide
range of physical and emotional conditions, including impaired
memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced alertness,
increased risk to personal safety, irritability, negativism,
anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, and diminished
psychological and overall health.
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9 out of 10 hearing aid users report improvements in their quality
of life.
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Advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing
aids in recent years, making them smaller with better sound
quality.
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Designs are modern, sleek, and discreet.
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Common features include:
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Clarity
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Greater directionality
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Better speech audibility in a variety of environments
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Better cell phone compatibility
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Less whistling and feedback then hearing aids of the past
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Greater ruggedness for active lifestyles
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