Who doesn’t enjoy getting a good bargain? But you should be careful and watch out for small details when it comes to your health.
We know, it can be confusing, the names are pretty similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not the same. And your general hearing and health could suffer serious consequences if you make the wrong choice about this.
Hearing amplifiers
A hearing amplifier is a small device that, when placed in your ear, raises the volume of the sounds around you. These are generally really simple, one-dimensional devices which the government classifies as personal sound amplification devices. The volume of the world is basically turned up.
These devices are generally not suggested for individuals with moderate to significant hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all strategy.
Hearing amplifier are not hearing aids
Once people learn that hearing amplifiers aren’t suggested for people with even modest hearing loss, the differences between the two devices start to become pretty plain. Hearing aids, obviously, are encouraged for those with hearing loss.
Both kinds of devices can raise the volume of outside sound. The primary difference between the two devices is how sophisticated that amplification is.
- Hearing aids can be calibrated for your environment. There are a number of variables that will influence the exact acoustics of a space. Some hearing aids can fine tune to these changes automatically. Other models can be tuned with a smartphone or a dedicated device. By making small adjustments to the settings of your hearing aid, you’re able to hear better in a wider variety of settings, meaning there will be fewer locations you want to avoid.
- Hearing aids are specifically manufactured to help you hear speech. To some extent, that’s the result of the uneven way hearing loss develops, but it’s also because communication is such an essential function of your hearing. So this function has been prioritized by hearing aid makers who have put substantial resources into enhancing it. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working inside of hearing aids to ensure that, even in a crowded and noisy place, voices come through clearly.
- Hearing aids are designed to pick out and boost specific frequencies of sound. Because hearing loss often progresses wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds generally vanish first. Hearing aids work to fill in the holes in your hearing rather than just making everything louder. For individuals who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.
To put it bluntly, properly managing hearing loss depends on these features. And these are qualities that are not present in most personal hearing amplifiers.
Finding the best solution at an affordable price
Neglected hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished ability to hear. Because amplifiers don’t distinguish between frequencies, if you raise the volume enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll probably have it up too loud for other wavelengths….and do additional damage. And who needs to do that?
Unless your hearing loss is from earwax, hearing aids and some surgeries are the only approved treatment options 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. Neglected hearing loss has been shown to increase your general healthcare costs over 40%. Fortunately, there are affordable solutions. We can help.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077