We all enjoy a good bargain. But you should be careful and be aware of little details in regards to your health.
We know, it can be confusing, the names are very similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not equivalent. And your overall hearing and health could suffer severe repercussions if you make the wrong choice about this.
What is a hearing amplifier?
A hearing amplifier is a small device that, when put in your ear, increases the volume of the sounds around you. These tend to be quite simple, one-dimensional devices which the government categorizes as personal sound amplification devices. The volume of the world is basically turned up.
These devices are typically not suggested for individuals with moderate to severe hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all strategy.
Distinct difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
Once consumers learn that hearing amplifiers are not suggested for individuals with even modest hearing loss, the differences between the two devices begin to become pretty plain. Of course, hearing aids are appropriate for people with hearing loss.
Both types of devices are capable of raising the volume of external sound. The main difference between the two devices is how cutting edge that amplification is.
- Hearing aids are specially manufactured to help you hear speech. To some extent, that’s as a consequence of the uneven way hearing loss develops, but it’s also because communication is such a fundamental function of your hearing. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested monumental resources into maximizing the clarity of speech above all else. In order to make sure voices can be heard clearly even in a crowded room, state-of-the-art technology and algorithms are packed inside of modern hearing aids.
- With hearing aids, only select wavelengths of sound are amplified. That’s because people often lose their hearing one wavelength at a time. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds typically vanish first. Instead of making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. For individuals who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can calibrate to it. There are quite a few variables that will determine the specific acoustics of a space. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. Others can be tuned with a smartphone or a dedicated device. You will avoid fewer places because you will be able to hear better in a wider variety of settings as your hearing aids make minute adjustments.
To put it bluntly, properly managing hearing loss depends on these capabilities. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these abilities.
Finding the best option at an affordable price
Along with a decreased ability to hear, neglected hearing loss can also result in mental decline. Because amplifiers don’t differentiate between frequencies, if you raise the volume enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll likely have it up too loud for other frequencies….and damage your hearing further. And that isn’t good for anybody.
Unless your hearing loss is from earwax, hearing aids and some surgeries are the only authorized treatment options for hearing loss at this time. Dismissing hearing loss and bypassing treatment doesn’t save you money long term. Overall healthcare costs have been shown to increase by more than 40% with neglected hearing loss. Fortunately, there are affordable solutions. Just ask us.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077