Saving money just feels good, right? It can be exhilarating when you’ve received a good deal on something, and the larger discount, the more satisfied you are. So letting your coupon make your buying decisions for you, always chasing after the least expensive products, is all too easy. But going after a bargain when it comes to purchasing hearing aids can be a big mistake.
Health repercussions can result from going for the cheapest option if you need hearing aids to treat hearing loss. After all, the whole point of getting hearing aids is to be able to hear well and to prevent health problems associated with hearing loss including mental decline, depression, and an increased risk of falls. Choosing the correct hearing aid to suit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the trick.
Tips for choosing affordable hearing aids
Cheap and affordable aren’t necessarily the same thing. Keep an eye on affordability and functionality. This will help you stay within your budget while allowing you to get the ideal hearing aids for your personal needs and budget. These are helpful tips.
You can obtain affordable hearing aids.
Hearing aids have a reputation for taking a toll on your wallet, a reputation, though, is not always represented by reality. The majority of manufacturers sell hearing aids in a broad range of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more budget friendly. If you’ve started exploring the bargain bin for hearing aids because you’ve already resolved that really good effective models are too expensive, it could have serious health consequences.
Tip #2: Ask what’s covered
Insurance may cover some or all of the expenses associated with 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: Find hearing aids that can be tuned to your hearing loss
In some ways, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. The frame is fairly universal (depending on your sense of fashion, of course), but the prescription is adjusted for your particular needs. Similarly, hearing aids may look alike cosmetically, but each hearing aid is tuned to the individual user’s hearing loss needs.
Buying a cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf won’t give you the same results (or, in many cases, results that are even remotely helpful). These are more like amplifiers that increase the volume of all frequencies, not only the ones you’re having difficulty hearing. Why is this so important? Hearing loss is usually uneven, you can hear some frequencies and voices, but not others. If you increase all frequencies, the ones you have no problem hearing will be too loud. You will probably end up not using this cheap amplification device because it doesn’t resolve your real problem.
Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different capabilities
It can be tempting to believe that all of the modern technology in a quality hearing aid is just “bells and whistles”. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds properly. The specialized technology in hearing aids can be tuned in to the user’s level of hearing loss. Many modern designs have artificial intelligence that helps block out background noise or communicate with each other to help you hear better. Also, choosing a model that fits your lifestyle will be simpler if you take into account where (and why) you’ll be using your hearing aids.
That technology is crucial to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. A little speaker that turns the volume up on everything is far from the sophistication of a modern hearing aid. And that brings up our last tip.
Tip #5: An amplification device isn’t the same thing as a hearing aid
Alright, say this with me: a hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid. This is the most important takeaway from this article. Because the makers of amplification devices have a monetary interest in convincing the consumer that their devices work like hearing aids. But that’s untruthful marketing.
Let’s have a closer look. A hearing amplification device:
- Takes all sounds and makes them louder.
- Is typically made cheaply.
- Provides the user with little more than simple volume controls (if that).
A hearing aid, on the other hand:
- Increases the frequencies that you have a tough time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Has highly skilled specialists that program your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Has the capability to change settings when you change locations.
- Can identify and amplify specific sound categories (such as the human voice).
- Has long-lasting batteries.
- Can be molded specifically to your ears for optimal comfort.
- Will help protect your hearing health.
- Can limit background noise.
Your ability to hear is too essential to go cheap
Everybody has a budget, and that budget is going to restrict your hearing aid choices 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 benefits of hearing loss management and hearing aids is well documented. This is why an affordable solution is where your attention should be. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”