We all love a good bargain. But when it has to do with your health, be careful what you buy and keep your eye on the little details.
The names “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” might seem similar but they are actually very different devices. And your general hearing and health could suffer major consequences if you make the wrong choice about this.
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 gadgets tend to be quite simple and one-dimensional. The volume of the world is essentially cranked up.
Because of their one-size-fits-all strategy, hearing amplifiers aren’t appropriate for individuals who have moderate to extensive hearing loss.
Clear difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
Once people learn that hearing amplifiers are not recommended for people with even moderate hearing loss, the differences between the two devices begin to become rather stark. Obviously, hearing aids are appropriate for individuals with 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.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can calibrate to it. There are quite a few variables that will affect the exact acoustics of a space. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. A dedicated device or smartphone can calibrate hearing aids that don’t do it automatically. By making small adjustments to the settings of your hearing aid, you’re capable of hearing better in a wider variety of environments, meaning there will be fewer places you want to avoid.
- With hearing aids, only select frequencies of sound are boosted. That’s because people often lose their hearing one wavelength at a time. Wavelengths at the higher and lower end of the spectrum are generally the first to go. Hearing aids work to fill in the gaps in your hearing rather than just making everything louder. This selective strategy is much more effective for individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
- Picking out and amplifying speech is one of the primary functions of a hearing aid. Because communication is so essential in our lives and also because of the uneven way hearing loss develops, this is an important function. So this function has been prioritized by hearing aid makers who have put significant resources into enhancing it. In order to make sure voices come through clearly even in a noisy room, sophisticated technology and algorithms are packed inside of modern hearing aids.
Bottom line, these features are crucial components of correctly treating hearing loss. And these are attributes that are not present in the majority of personal hearing amplifiers.
The right deal for your ears
Neglected hearing loss can cause cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished hearing abilities. With amplifiers, you’re very likely to do more damage to your hearing as the device doesn’t distinguish frequencies and will most likely turn everything up to unsafe levels. And who wants to do that?
Unless your hearing loss is from earwax, hearing aids and certain surgeries are the only approved treatment options for hearing loss at this time. You won’t save any money in the long run by neglecting to get treatment for your hearing loss. General healthcare costs have been shown to increase by over 40% with untreated hearing loss. The good news is, there are affordable options. We can help.
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References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077