Who doesn’t enjoy finding a good bargain? But you need to be careful and look out for small details when it comes 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 serious repercussions if you make the wrong choice about this.
Hearing amplifiers
A hearing amplifier is a small device that, when put in your ear, increases the volume of the sounds around you. These are usually really simple, one-dimensional devices which the government categorizes as personal sound amplification devices. The volume of the world is basically turned up.
Because of their one-size-fits-all approach, hearing amplifiers aren’t appropriate for people who have moderate to significant hearing loss.
Distinct difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
Once people learn that hearing amplifiers aren’t suggested for people with even moderate hearing loss, the differences between the two devices begin to become pretty stark. Hearing aids, obviously, are recommended for individuals with hearing loss.
Both types of devices can raise the volume of outside sound. The main difference between the two devices is how cutting edge that amplification is.
- Hearing aids are specially designed to help you comprehend speech. Because communication is so essential in our lives and also because of the uneven way hearing loss develops, this is an essential function. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested enormous resources into maximizing the clarity of speech above all else. In order to make sure voices can be heard clearly even in a crowded room, sophisticated technology and algorithms are packed inside of modern hearing aids.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can tune in to it. There are quite a few variables that will determine the specific acoustics of a space. Some hearing aids can fine tune to these changes automatically. A dedicated device or smartphone can tune hearing aids that don’t do it automatically. 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 identify and magnify certain wavelengths of sound. That’s because people tend to lose their hearing one frequency at a time. Wavelengths at the higher and lower end of the spectrum are usually the first to go. Rather than making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. For individuals who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.
To put it bluntly, properly managing hearing loss depends on these features. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these features.
Finding the best option at an affordable price
Untreated hearing loss can bring about cognitive decline, not to mention 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 likely have it up too loud for other wavelengths….and damage your hearing further. And that isn’t good for anybody.
Currently, the only recommended treatments for hearing loss, if it isn’t caused by earwax, are some surgeries and hearing aids. Ignoring hearing loss and avoiding treatment doesn’t save you money long term. Overall healthcare costs have been shown to increase by more than 40% with untreated hearing loss. Luckily, there are affordable options. Just ask us.
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References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077