Who doesn’t love finding a good bargain? But you should be careful and look out for small details when it comes to your health.
We know, it can be confusing, the names are rather similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not equivalent. And your overall hearing and health could suffer major repercussions if you make the wrong decision about this.
What is a hearing amplifier?
A little device that goes inside of your ear, a hearing amplifier increases the volume of external sound. Technically categorized as personal sound amplification products by the government, these gadgets tend to be quite simple and one-dimensional. The volume of the world is essentially turned up.
These devices are typically not suggested for people with moderate to significant hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all strategy.
Hearing amplifier are not hearing aids
It begins to become pretty obvious that hearing aids aren’t the same as hearing amplification devices when you recognize that amplifiers are not recommended for people with even moderate hearing loss. Hearing aids, obviously, are encouraged for those who suffer from hearing loss.
Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers make things louder. But one of these devices has a much higher level of amplification technology and sophistication.
- With hearing aids, only particular frequencies of sound are amplified. That’s because people normally lose their hearing one wavelength at a time. Frequencies at the higher and lower end of the spectrum are commonly the first to go. Instead of making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. This selective strategy is far more effective for people who suffer from hearing loss.
- Hearing aids can be tuned to your environment. There are quite a few factors that will impact the specific acoustics of a space. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. Others can be calibrated 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 places as your hearing aids make little adjustments.
- Selecting and amplifying speech is one of the primary features of a hearing aid. Because communication is so central in our lives and also because of the irregular way hearing loss progresses, this is an important function. Because of this, hearing aid makers have invested significant resources into enhancing the clarity of speech above all else. In order to make certain voices come through clearly even in a crowded room, state-of-the-art technology and algorithms are bundled inside of modern hearing aids.
Simply put, these features are crucial elements of properly managing hearing loss. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these features.
The best deal for your ears
Neglected hearing loss can cause cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished hearing abilities. Because amplifiers don’t distinguish between frequencies, if you raise the volume enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll likely have it up too loud for other wavelengths….and do additional damage. And that isn’t good for anyone.
Unless your hearing loss is being caused by earwax, hearing aids and certain surgeries are the only approved treatment options for hearing loss right now. You won’t save any money in the long run by failing to get treatment for your hearing loss. General healthcare costs have been shown to increase by more than 40% with neglected hearing loss. The good news is, there are budget friendly options. Just ask us.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077