We all love a good bargain. But when it comes to your health, be careful what you purchase and keep your eye on the little details.
The names “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” may seem similar but they are actually very different devices. And making the wrong choice could have important ramifications for your hearing and your general health.
What is a hearing amplifier?
A hearing amplifier is a little device that, when placed in your ear, raises the volume of the sounds around you. Technically categorized as personal sound amplification products by the government, these devices tend to be fairly simple and one-dimensional. A hearing amplifier is like turning the volume of the world up.
Because of their one-size-fits-all strategy, hearing amplifiers are not recommended for people who have moderate to extensive hearing loss.
Hearing amplifier are not hearing aids
It begins to become pretty apparent 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. Obviously, hearing aids are appropriate for people 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.
- 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 uneven way hearing loss develops, this is an important function. Because of this, hearing aid manufacturers have invested significant resources into maximizing the clarity of speech above all else. In order to make sure voices can be heard clearly even in a noisy room, sophisticated technology and algorithms are bundled inside of modern hearing aids.
- With hearing aids, only select frequencies of sound are amplified. Because hearing loss usually progresses frequency by frequency. Wavelengths at the higher and lower end of the spectrum are commonly the first to go. Hearing aids work to fill in the holes 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 tuned to your environment. The acoustics of any given space will change depending on a lengthy list of variables. These adjustments can even happen automatically with some modern hearing aids. Other models can be tuned with a smartphone or a dedicated device. By making small adjustments to the settings of your hearing aid, you’re able to hear better in a wider variety of environments, meaning there will be fewer locations you wish to avoid.
To put it bluntly, correctly managing hearing loss depends on these capabilities. And these are features that are not present in most personal hearing amplifiers.
The best deal for your ears
Untreated hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline, along with 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 who needs to do that?
Unless your hearing loss is being caused by earwax, hearing aids and certain surgeries are the only authorized treatment options for hearing loss at this time. Dismissing hearing loss and avoiding treatment doesn’t save you money in the long run. Overall healthcare costs have been shown to increase by over 40% with untreated hearing loss. The good news is, there are budget friendly options. We can help.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077
