We all enjoy a good bargain. But you need to be careful and watch out for little details in regards 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 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 small device that, when placed in your ear, raises the volume of the sounds around you. These tend to be very simple, one-dimensional devices which the government classifies as personal sound amplification devices. The volume of the world is essentially cranked up.
Because of their one-size-fits-all strategy, hearing amplifiers aren’t recommended for people who have moderate to significant hearing loss.
Clear difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
Once people learn that hearing amplifiers aren’t recommended for people with even modest hearing loss, the differences between the two devices begin to become pretty stark. Of course, hearing aids are recommended for individuals who cope with hearing loss.
Both kinds of devices are capable of raising the volume of external sound. But one of these devices has a much higher degree of amplification technology and sophistication.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can calibrate to it. The acoustics of any given space will change depending on a long list of factors. Some hearing aids can adjust to these changes automatically. Others can be tuned with a smartphone or a dedicated device. You will avoid fewer places because you will be capable of hearing better in a wider variety of settings as your hearing aids make minute adjustments.
- Hearing aids are designed to pick out and magnify specific wavelengths of sound. That’s because people normally lose their hearing one wavelength at a time. Wavelengths at the higher and lower end of the spectrum are usually the first to go. 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.
- Picking out and amplifying speech is one of the primary functions of a hearing aid. In part, that’s due to the irregular way hearing loss develops, but it’s also because communication is such a fundamental function of your hearing. Because of this, hearing aid makers have invested enormous resources into maximizing the clarity of speech above all else. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working within hearing aids to ensure that, even in a crowded and noisy space, voices come through clearly.
Simply put, these capabilities are vital elements of effectively treating hearing loss. And these are qualities that are not present in most personal hearing amplifiers.
The best deal for your ears
Along with a decreased ability to hear, neglected hearing loss can also lead to mental decline. Because amplifiers don’t distinguish between frequencies, if you turn them up enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll likely have it up too loud for other frequencies….and damage your hearing further. 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 right now. You won’t save any money long term by failing to get treatment for your hearing loss. General healthcare costs have been found to increase by over 40% with untreated hearing loss. Luckily, there are affordable solutions. We can help.
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References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077