This article by the Better Hearing Institute has important information for all “Baby Boomers”. For a variety of economic reasons, Boomers are working well beyond their retirement age. At the same time, hearing loss increases naturally as a function of advancing age. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important for boomers to routinely get their hearing checked, and to address any hearing loss so it doesn’t undermine their efforts on the job or their quality of life. If you skip everything else, read The Bottom Line and pay particular attention to What Can You Do.
The Message:
- More than 34 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, about 11 percent of the U.S. population, and 60 percent of this population is below retirement age, according to the Better Hearing Institute.
- An increasing body of research indicates that hearing aids 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.
- Those with moderate-to-severe hearing loss who use hearing aids are twice as likely to be employed as their peers who do not use hearing aids. And three out of four hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life due to wearing hearing aids. The vast majority of people with hearing loss, in fact, could benefit from hearing aids.
The Bottom Line:
“Never before has good hearing been so important – or so attainable,” says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, Executive Director of the Better Hearing Institute…
“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, and stave off depression”.
What Can You Do?
We urge anyone planning to remain in the workforce beyond retirement age to optimize their hearing health and enhance their likelihood of career success by taking a confidential, online hearing check at www.hearingcheck.org. It will help you determine if you may need a more thorough hearing test by a qualified Audiologist. Your hearing health and continued job success are within your control.
The full article can be found at here.