We all enjoy a good bargain. But you should be careful and be aware of small details when it comes to your health.
The terms “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” may seem similar but they are actually very different devices. And your overall hearing and health could suffer serious repercussions if you make the wrong decision about this.
Hearing amplifiers
A small device that goes in your ear, a hearing amplifier raises the volume of outside sound. These are generally very simple, one-dimensional devices which the government categorizes as personal sound amplification devices. The volume of the world is essentially cranked up.
Because of their one-size-fits-all approach, hearing amplifiers are not appropriate for individuals who have moderate to significant hearing loss.
Hearing amplifier aren’t hearing aids
Once consumers learn that hearing amplifiers are not suggested for people with even moderate hearing loss, the differences between the two devices start to become pretty plain. Obviously, hearing aids are recommended for individuals with hearing loss.
Both kinds of devices are capable of raising the volume of external sound. The primary difference between the two devices is how cutting edge that amplification is.
- Hearing aids are specially manufactured to help you comprehend speech. To some extent, that’s the result of the irregular 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 manufacturers who have put considerable resources into improving it. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working within hearing aids to make sure that, even in a crowded and noisy space, voices come through clearly.
- With hearing aids, only select wavelengths of sound are amplified. Because hearing loss often advances wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds generally vanish first. Hearing aids work to fill in the gaps in your hearing rather than just making everything louder. For people who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.
- Hearing aids can be calibrated for your environment. There are a number of variables that will impact the exact acoustics of a space. 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 capable of hearing better in a wider variety of places as your hearing aids make little adjustments.
To put it bluntly, properly managing hearing loss depends on these features. And these are qualities that are not present in the majority of personal hearing amplifiers.
Finding the best option at an affordable price
Neglected hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline, along with increasingly diminished ability to hear. Because amplifiers don’t differentiate between frequencies, if you turn them up enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll probably have it up too loud for other frequencies….and do additional damage. And that’s not good for anybody.
Right now, the only approved treatments for hearing loss, if it isn’t a result of earwax, are some surgeries and hearing aids. You won’t save any money in the long run by neglecting to get treatment for your hearing loss. Neglected hearing loss has been demonstrated to increase your overall healthcare costs more than 40 percent. The good news is, there are affordable options. We can help.
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References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077
