Finding a bargain just feels good, right? It can be invigorating 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 choices for you, always looking for the least expensive items, is all too easy. When it comes to purchasing a pair of hearing aids, going after a bargain can be a big mistake.
If you need hearing aids to manage hearing loss, going for the “cheapest” option can have health repercussions. Preventing the development of health issues including depression, dementia, and the danger of a fall is the whole point of using hearing aids in the first place. Choosing the right hearing aid to suit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the key.
Picking affordable hearing aids – some tips
Cheap and affordable aren’t necessarily the same thing. Affordability, as well as functionality, are what you should be keeping your eye on. That will help you get the best hearing aid possible for your personal budget. These tips will help.
You can get affordable hearing aids.
Hearing aid’s reputation for being extremely pricey is not necessarily reflected in the reality of the situation. Most hearing aid makers will partner up with financing companies to make the device more affordable and also have hearing aids in a number of prices. If you’ve started searching the bargain bin for hearing aids because you’ve already resolved that really good effective models are out of reach, it could have significant health consequences.
Tip #2: Ask what’s covered
Insurance might cover some or all of the expenses associated with getting a hearing aid. Some states, in fact, have laws mandating insurance companies to cover hearing aids for children or adults. It never hurts to ask. There are government programs that often supply hearing aids for veterans.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – find hearing aids that can tune to your hearing situation
In some aspects, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of fashion, the frame comes in a few options, but the exact prescription differs considerably from person to person. Similarly, hearing aids may look alike cosmetically, but each hearing aid is calibrated to the individual user’s hearing loss needs.
You’re not going to get the same results by grabbing some cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf (or any helpful results at all in many cases). These amplification devices boost all frequencies rather than raising only the frequencies you’re having a hard time hearing. Why is this so important? Typically, hearing loss will only impact some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly. If you make it loud enough to hear the frequencies that are too quiet, you’ll make it uncomfortable in the frequencies you can hear without amplification. Simply put, it doesn’t really solve the problem and you’ll end up not using the cheaper device.
Tip #4: Not all hearing aids have the same features
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 clearly. The specialized technology in hearing aids can be dialed in to the user’s level of hearing loss. Many modern designs have artificial intelligence that helps filter out background noise or connect with each other to help you hear better. Additionally, thinking about where (and why) you’ll be using your aids will help you decide on a model that fits your lifestyle.
It’s crucial, in order to compensate for your hearing loss in an efficient way, that you have some of this technology. A little speaker that cranks the volume up on everything is far from the sophistication of a modern hearing aid. And that brings up our last tip.
Tip #5: A hearing amplification device isn’t a hearing aid
Alright, repeat after me: a hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid. If you get nothing else from this article, we hope it’s that. Because hearing amplification devices try very hard to make you think they do the same thing as a hearing aid for a fraction of the price. But that simply isn’t the case.
Let’s take a closer look. A hearing amplification device:
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
- Gives the user the ability to control the basic volume but that’s about it.
- Is usually built cheaply.
A hearing aid, however:
- Is adjusted specifically to your hearing loss symptoms by a highly skilled hearing professional.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Is tuned to amplify only the frequencies you have trouble hearing.
- Can minimize background noise.
- Can be programed to recognize distinct sound profiles, like the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can be programmed with various settings for different locations.
- Can create maximum comfort by being shaped to your ear.
- Will help safeguard your hearing health.
Your hearing deserves better than cheap
No matter what your budget is, that budget will restrict your options depending on your overall price range.
That’s why we tend to emphasize the affordable part of this. The long-term benefits of hearing aids and hearing loss treatment are well documented. That’s why you need to concentrate on an affordable solution. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”