Sonic Innovations, Salt Lake City, reports that Americans who ignore a hearing loss are also losing income, according to a statement released by the company.
A study from the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), a nonprofit corporation that educates the public about the neglected problem of hearing loss and what can be done about it, provides the numbers, says Sonic:
$100 Billion Lost in Earnings Each Year:
- Average annual amount of income lost by American working people who don’t get hearing aids ranges from $1,000 (those with mild hearing loss) to $12,000 (those with profound hearing loss).
- BHI survey states that getting hearing aids at a younger age reduces the chance of losing income. Only one out of four Americans with hearing problems is getting treatment.
Michael Nilsson, Sonic’s VP of auditory research, says in the statement that people who ignore hearing loss and refuse to admit they need a hearing aid are passing up a tool that will boost their self-esteem, help reduce anxiety, and increase their income.
He says further that in today’s economy, the thought of affording new digital aids—which can cost between $1,000 and $4,000 each—may be discouraging. However, since the average life of today’s hearing aids is 3 to 5 years, the device cost averages about $3 a day, he adds.
Sonic designs new hearing devices with patented hearing aid technology to significantly advance sound quality and performance, says the statement. The company’s products include Sonic Touch, a small receiver-in-the-canal product; the Velocity line of hearing aids, a small, fully functional behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid; ; and the ion line, a small thin tube BTE device.
[Source: Sonic Innovations]
