We all enjoy a good bargain. But when it comes to your health, be careful what you buy and pay attention to the little details.
We know, it’s confusing, the names are very similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not equivalent. And your general 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 little device that, when put in your ear, raises 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. A hearing amplifier is like turning the volume of the world up.
These devices are usually not recommended for individuals with moderate to significant hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all approach.
Hearing amplifier are not hearing aids
It starts to become pretty obvious that hearing aids aren’t the same as hearing amplification devices when you consider that amplifiers are not recommended for people with even moderate hearing loss. Hearing aids, obviously, are encouraged for people with hearing loss.
Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers make things louder. The biggest difference between the two devices is how sophisticated that amplification is.
- Hearing aids are made to identify and magnify specific frequencies of sound. Because hearing loss normally progresses wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds commonly vanish first. Hearing aids work to fill in the gaps in your hearing rather than just making everything louder. For individuals who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.
- Selecting and amplifying speech is one of the primary functions of a hearing aid. Because communication is so essential in our lives and also because of the uneven way hearing loss progresses, this is an important function. So this function has been prioritized by hearing aid manufacturers who have put substantial resources into enhancing it. In order to make sure voices can be heard clearly even in a crowded room, sophisticated technology and algorithms are packed inside of modern hearing aids.
- Hearing aids can be tuned to your environment. There are a number of variables that will determine the specific acoustics of a space. These adjustments can even happen automatically with some modern hearing aids. Others can be adjusted using a smartphone or a dedicated device. You will avoid fewer places because you will be capable of hearing better in a wider variety of places as your hearing aids make minute adjustments.
To put it bluntly, properly treating hearing loss depends on these capabilities. And these are qualities that are not present in the majority of personal hearing amplifiers.
The best deal for your ears
Neglected hearing loss can bring about cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished hearing abilities. With amplifiers, you’re very likely to do more harm to your hearing because the device doesn’t distinguish frequencies and will most likely turn everything up to unsafe levels. And that isn’t good for anyone.
Unless your hearing loss is from earwax, hearing aids and some surgeries are the only approved treatments for hearing loss at this time. You won’t save any money in the long run by failing to get treatment for your hearing loss. General healthcare costs have been found to increase by over 40% with neglected hearing loss. The good news is, there are budget friendly options. We can help.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077