We all enjoy a good bargain. But you should be careful and be aware of little details in regards to your health.

The terms “hearing aid” and “hearing amplifier” might seem similar but they are actually completely different devices. And your general hearing and health could suffer serious consequences if you make the wrong choice about this.

Hearing amplifiers

A small device that goes inside of your ear, a hearing amplifier increases the volume of outside sound. These are generally really simple, one-dimensional devices which the government categorizes as personal sound amplification devices. A hearing amplifier is like cranking the volume up on the world.

These devices are usually not recommended for individuals with moderate to severe hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all strategy.

Clear difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers

It starts to become fairly apparent that hearing aids aren’t the same as hearing amplification devices when you consider that amplifiers are not recommended for people with even moderate hearing loss. Of course, 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.

• Hearing aids are specially designed to help you comprehend speech. To some extent, that’s the result of the irregular way hearing loss develops, but it’s also because communication is such an important function of your hearing. So this function has been prioritized by hearing aid producers who have put substantial resources into improving it. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working within hearing aids to ensure that, even in a crowded and noisy room, voices come through loud and clear.
• Hearing aids can be calibrated for your environment. There are numerous variables that will determine the specific acoustics of a space. Some hearing aids can fine tune to these changes automatically. Others can be calibrated with a smartphone or a dedicated device. 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 locations you wish to avoid.
• With hearing aids, only specific wavelengths of sound are boosted. That’s because people normally lose their hearing one wavelength at a time. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds commonly disappear first. Instead of making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. For people who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.

Bottom line, these features are vital components of properly managing hearing loss. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these features.

Finding the best option at an affordable price

Neglected hearing loss can cause cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished ability to hear. 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 needs to do that?

Unless your hearing loss is being caused by earwax, hearing aids and certain surgeries are the only approved treatment options for hearing loss right now. You won’t save any money long term by neglecting to get treatment for your hearing loss. Neglected hearing loss has been shown to increase your general healthcare costs over 40%. Luckily, there are affordable options. We can help.

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References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077