Who doesn’t love finding a good bargain? But when it has to do with your health, be careful what you purchase and pay attention to the small details.
The terms “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” may seem similar but they are actually very different devices. And making the wrong selection could have important implications for your hearing and your overall health.
Hearing amplifiers
A small device that goes inside of your ear, a hearing amplifier increases the volume of outside sound. 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 up on the world.
Because of their one-size-fits-all strategy, hearing amplifiers are not recommended for individuals who have moderate to significant hearing loss.
Distinct difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
Once consumers learn that hearing amplifiers are not suggested for people with even moderate hearing loss, the differences between the two devices begin to become pretty stark. Of course, hearing aids are appropriate for people who cope 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.
- With hearing aids, only specific wavelengths of sound are boosted. That’s because people tend to lose their hearing one frequency at a time. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds commonly fade first. Hearing aids work to fill in the holes in your hearing rather than just making everything louder. For individuals who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.
- Hearing aids are specifically manufactured to help you hear speech. Because communication is so central in our lives and also because of the irregular way hearing loss develops, this is an essential function. So this function has been prioritized by hearing aid manufacturers who have put substantial resources into improving it. There are sophisticated algorithms and processes working inside of hearing aids to make sure that, even in a crowded and noisy place, voices come through clearly.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can calibrate to it. There are quite a few factors that will affect the exact acoustics of a space. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. Other models can be calibrated 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 settings, meaning there will be fewer locations you wish to avoid.
To put it bluntly, correctly managing hearing loss depends on these capabilities. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these abilities.
Finding the best option at an affordable price
Along with a diminished ability to hear, untreated hearing loss can also lead to cognitive decline. With amplifiers, you’re likely to do more harm to your hearing as the device doesn’t differentiate frequencies and will most likely turn everything up to unsafe levels. And who needs to do that?
Currently, the only approved treatments for hearing loss, if it isn’t caused by earwax, are certain surgeries and hearing aids. Ignoring 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 affordable solutions. We can help.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077