Who doesn’t love finding a good bargain? But when it has to do with your health, be careful what you buy and pay attention to the little details.
We know, it’s confusing, the names are pretty similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not identical. And making the wrong choice could have important implications for your hearing and your overall health.
Hearing amplifiers
A hearing amplifier is a small 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. The volume of the world is basically cranked up.
These devices are generally not suggested for individuals with moderate to significant hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all approach.
Distinct difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
It begins to become fairly obvious that hearing aids are not 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 individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers make things louder. The biggest difference between the two devices is how cutting edge that amplification is.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can calibrate to it. The acoustics of any given place will change depending on a long list of factors. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. Other models can be tuned with a smartphone or a dedicated device. You will avoid fewer locations because you will be able to hear better in a wider variety of settings as your hearing aids make minute adjustments.
- Hearing aids are specially manufactured to help you understand speech. Because communication is so essential in our lives and also because of the uneven way hearing loss progresses, this is an important function. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested enormous 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.
- Hearing aids are made to pick out and boost specific frequencies of sound. Because hearing loss frequently advances frequency by frequency. 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. This selective strategy is far more effective for people who suffer from hearing loss.
Bottom line, these features are vital elements of properly treating hearing loss. In most cases, personal amplifiers don’t have these features.
The best deal for your ears
Untreated hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline, along with increasingly diminished ability to hear. With amplifiers, you’re very likely to do more damage to your hearing because the device doesn’t differentiate frequencies and will most likely turn everything up to unsafe volumes. And that isn’t good for anyone.
Right now, the only approved treatments for hearing loss, if it isn’t a result of earwax, are certain surgeries and hearing aids. Dismissing hearing loss and avoiding treatment doesn’t save you money in the long run. General healthcare costs have been found to increase by over 40% with untreated hearing loss. Fortunately, there are affordable options. Just ask us.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077