Usually, hearing loss is looked at as a problem that impacts our personal life. It’s about you and your health, between you and your hearing specialist. It’s a private, personal subject. And that’s accurate, on an individual level. But hearing loss, when thought about in a broader perspective, as something that affects 466 million people, we need to understand it as a public health matter.
Now, broadly speaking, that just means that we should be looking at hearing loss as something that impacts society as a whole. We should think about how to manage it as a society.
The Cost of Hearing Loss
William just learned last week he has hearing loss and against the suggestion of his hearing professional, that he can wait a while before looking into with hearing aids. Williams job execution, regrettably, is being impacted by his hearing loss; it’s harder for him to keep up in meetings, it takes him longer to finish his work, and so on.
He also stops going out. It’s just too frustrating trying to keep up with all the levels of conversation (he feels like people talk too much anyway). So he isolates himself instead of going out.
These decisions will have a cumulative effect after a while.
- Economic cost: Neglecting his hearing loss can affect his income over time. According to the World Health Organization, hearing loss can result in a certain level of underemployment and unemployment. Because of this the world economy can lose around $105 billion in lost income and revenue. This amount of lost income is only the beginning of the story because it has a ripple effect throughout the entire economic system.
- Social cost: William misses his family and friends! His relationships are suffering because of his social isolation. His friends might think he is dismissing them because they may not even know about his hearing loss. It can seem like insensitivity or anger. His relationships are becoming strained due to this.
What Makes Hearing Loss a Public Health Problem?
While on a personal level these costs will definitely be felt (William may miss his friends or lament his economic situation), they also have an impact on everyone else. William isn’t spending as much at local shops because he has less money. With fewer friends, more of William’s care will have to be done by his family. Over-all, his health can become affected and can lead to increased healthcare costs. If he’s uninsured, those costs get passed on to the public. And so, in a way, William’s hearing loss affects those around him quite profoundly.
You can get an idea of why public health officials take this problem very seriously when you multiply William by 466 million people.
How to Treat Hearing Loss
Thankfully, there are a couple of fairly easy ways to help this particular public health concern: treatment and prevention. When you correctly treat hearing loss (typically by wearing hearing aids), you can have very dramatic results:
- Your relationships will improve because communicating with family and friends will be easier.
- It will be easier to participate in many social functions if you’re able to hear better.
- You’ll have a much easier time managing the demands of your job.
- With management of hearing loss, you may be able to help lower your chances of several connected conditions, such as dementia, depression, anxiety, or balance issues.
Encouraging good mental and physical health begins with dealing with your hearing loss. A lot more hearing professionals are making a priority of taking care of your hearing which makes a lot of sense.
Prevention is equally as important. Insight about how to safeguard your ears from loud damaging noise can be found in many public health advertisements. But common noises like mowing your lawn or listening to headphones can even cause hearing loss.
There are downloadable apps that can keep track of background decibel levels and give you a warning when things get too loud. Safeguarding the public’s hearing in an extensive and practical way (often via education) is one way to have a huge effect.
A Little Help Goes a Long Way
Certain states in the U.S. are even transforming the way that health insurance treats hearing health. That’s a strategy based on strong evidence and strong public health policy. When we change our thinking about hearing loss, and about preventing hearing loss, we can significantly impact public health for the good.
And that helps everyone, 466 million and beyond.
