We all enjoy a good bargain. But you need to be careful and be aware of small details when it comes to your health.
The names “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” might seem similar but they are actually completely different devices. And your general hearing and health could suffer severe repercussions if you make the wrong choice about this.
What is a hearing amplifier?
A little device that goes in your ear, a hearing amplifier raises the volume of outside sound. These are usually quite simple, one-dimensional devices that the government classifies as personal sound amplification devices. A hearing amplifier is like cranking the volume up on the world.
Because of their one-size-fits-all strategy, hearing amplifiers are not appropriate for people who have moderate to significant hearing loss.
Hearing amplifier are not hearing aids
It starts 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 recommended for individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers have the ability to increase volumes. But one of these devices has a much higher degree of amplification technology and sophistication.
- Hearing aids can be calibrated for your environment. There are quite a few factors that will influence the exact acoustics of a space. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. A dedicated device or smartphone can tune hearing aids that don’t do it automatically. By making minute adjustments to the settings of your hearing aid, you’re capable of hearing better in a wider variety of settings, meaning there will be fewer locations you want to avoid.
- Selecting and amplifying speech is one of the primary functions of a hearing aid. Because communication is so central in our lives and also because of the uneven way hearing loss progresses, this is an important function. So this function has been prioritized by hearing aid manufacturers who have put substantial resources into improving it. In order to make certain voices can be heard clearly even in a noisy room, state-of-the-art technology and algorithms are bundled inside of modern hearing aids.
- With hearing aids, only particular frequencies of sound are amplified. That’s because people normally lose their hearing one frequency at a time. Frequencies at the higher and lower end of the spectrum are commonly the first to go. 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.
To put it bluntly, properly managing hearing loss depends on these features. And these are features that are not present in the majority of personal hearing amplifiers.
The right deal for your ears
Untreated hearing loss can bring about cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished ability to hear. Because amplifiers don’t distinguish between frequencies, if you raise the volume enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll probably have it up too loud for other frequencies….and damage your hearing further. And that isn’t good for anybody.
Currently, the only recommended treatments for hearing loss, if it isn’t a result of earwax, are certain surgeries and hearing aids. Neglecting hearing loss and bypassing treatment doesn’t save you money long term. Neglected hearing loss has been demonstrated to increase your general healthcare costs over 40%. Fortunately, there are affordable solutions. Just ask us.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077