Finding a bargain just feels good, right? Getting a good deal can be invigorating, and more rewarding the bigger the bargain. So letting your coupon make your buying decisions for you, always going after the least expensive items, is all too easy. But chasing a bargain when it comes to buying hearing aids can be a big mistake.
Health repercussions can result from choosing the cheapest option if you need hearing aids to treat hearing loss. After all, the entire point of using hearing aids is to be able to hear clearly and to prevent health issues related to hearing loss such as mental decline, depression, and an increased chance of falls. Finding the right hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the key.
Finding affordable hearing aids – some tips
Cheap and affordable aren’t always the same thing. Look for affordability as well as functionality. That will help you get the best hearing aid possible for your personal budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #1: Do your homework: You can get affordable hearing aids.
Hearing aid’s reputation for being very pricey is not always reflected in the reality of the situation. Most manufacturers produce hearing aids in a wide range of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more affordable. If you’ve already made the decision that the most reliable hearing aids are too expensive, you’re probably more likely to search the bargain bin than look for affordable and effective options, and that can have a lasting, negative impact on your hearing and overall health.
Tip #2: Find out what your insurance will cover
Insurance might cover some or all of the expenses related to getting a hearing aid. Some states, in fact, have laws requiring insurance companies to cover hearing aids for children or adults. It never hurts to ask. If you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.
Tip #3: Look for hearing aids that can be calibrated to your hearing loss
In some aspects, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of style, the frame comes in a few options, but the exact prescription differs significantly from person to person. Hearing aids, too, have specific settings, which we can calibrate for you, tailored to your precise needs.
Buying a cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf is not going to give you the same benefits (or, in many instances, results that are even remotely helpful). These amplification devices increase all frequencies instead of boosting only the frequencies you’re having trouble with. Why is this so significant? Hearing loss is often uneven, you can hear certain frequencies and sounds, but not others. If you raise the volume enough to hear the frequencies that are low, you’ll make it uncomfortable in the frequencies you can hear without amplification. You will most likely end up not using this cheap amplification device because it doesn’t resolve your real problem.
Tip #4: Not all hearing aids do the same things
There’s a temptation to view all of the great technology in modern hearing aids and imagine that it’s all extra, simply bells and whistles. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds properly. The sophisticated technology in hearing aids can be dialed in to the user’s level of hearing loss. Background noise can be filtered out with many of these modern models and some can communicate with each other. Also, choosing a model that fits your lifestyle will be easier if you factor in where (and why) you’ll be using your hearing aids.
That technology is essential to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. Hearing aids are much more sophisticated than a simple, tiny speaker that boosts the volume of everything. Which brings us to our last tip.
Tip #5: A hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid
Okay, say this with me: A hearing aid is not the same thing as a hearing amplification device. If you get nothing else from this article, we hope it’s that. Because the makers of amplification devices have a monetary interest in persuading the consumer that their devices work like hearing aids. But that simply isn’t the case.
Let’s have a closer look. A hearing amplification device:
- Is usually built cheaply.
- Gives the user the ability to adjust the basic volume but that’s about all.
- Turns the volume up on all sounds.
A hearing aid, conversely:
- Can limit background noise.
- Can be shaped specifically to your ears for optimal comfort.
- Can be programed to identify distinct sound profiles, such as the human voice, and amplify them.
- Has long-lasting batteries.
- Will help you maintain the health of your hearing.
- Increases the frequencies that you have a difficult time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Can be programmed with different settings for different places.
- Has highly qualified professionals that adjust your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
Your ability to hear is too crucial to go cheap
Everybody has a budget, and that budget is going to restrict your hearing aid options regardless of what price range you’re looking in.
That’s why we often highlight the affordable part of this. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term advantages of hearing loss treatment and hearing aids is well documented. That’s why you should focus on an affordable solution. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”