We all love a good bargain. But when it comes to your health, be careful what you purchase and keep your eye on the small details.
We know, it’s confusing, the names are rather similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not the same. And making the wrong choice could have important ramifications for your hearing and your overall health.
What is a hearing amplifier?
A little device that goes inside of your ear, a hearing amplifier raises the volume of outside sound. Technically classified as personal sound amplification products by the government, these devices tend to be quite simple and one-dimensional. A hearing amplifier is like cranking the volume up on the world.
Because of their one-size-fits-all approach, hearing amplifiers aren’t appropriate for individuals who have moderate to extensive hearing loss.
Hearing amplifier are not hearing aids
It starts to become fairly apparent 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. Of course, hearing aids are appropriate for people who cope with hearing loss.
Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers have the ability to increase volumes. But one of these devices has a much higher level of amplification technology and sophistication.
- Hearing aids can be calibrated for your environment. The acoustics of any given space will change depending on a lengthy list of factors. These adjustments can even happen automatically with some modern hearing aids. A dedicated device or smartphone can calibrate hearing aids that don’t do it automatically. You will avoid fewer locations because you will be able to hear better in a wider variety of places as your hearing aids make little adjustments.
- Hearing aids are specially manufactured to help you process speech. To some extent, that’s as a consequence of the irregular way hearing loss progresses, but it’s also because communication is such an important function of your hearing. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested enormous resources into enhancing the clarity of speech above everything else. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working inside of hearing aids to ensure that, even in a crowded and noisy room, voices come through clearly.
- With hearing aids, only particular wavelengths of sound are amplified. Because hearing loss often advances wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds generally disappear 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.
To put it bluntly, correctly treating hearing loss depends on these features. And these are features that are not present in most personal hearing amplifiers.
The right deal for your ears
Along with a decreased ability to hear, neglected hearing loss can also result in cognitive decline. With amplifiers, you’re very likely to do more damage to your hearing as the device doesn’t differentiate frequencies and will most likely turn everything up to unsafe volumes. And who needs to do that?
Unless your hearing loss is being caused by earwax, hearing aids and certain surgeries are the only approved treatment options for hearing loss at this time. Dismissing hearing loss and avoiding treatment doesn’t save you money ultimately. Untreated hearing loss has been shown to increase your overall healthcare costs over 40%. The good news is, there are affordable solutions. We can help.
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References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077