We all enjoy a good bargain. But you should be careful and look out for little details in regards to your health.
We know, it’s confusing, the names are rather similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not identical. And your overall hearing and health could suffer serious repercussions 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 classified as personal sound amplification products by the government, these devices tend to be fairly basic and one-dimensional. A hearing amplifier is like cranking the volume of the world up.
These devices are generally not recommended for people with moderate to significant hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all strategy.
Distinct difference between hearing aids and personal amplifiers
It starts to become pretty obvious 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. Obviously, hearing aids are appropriate for people who cope with hearing loss.
Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers make things louder. The primary difference between the two devices is how sophisticated that amplification is.
- With hearing aids, only select wavelengths of sound are amplified. Because hearing loss frequently advances wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds generally fade first. Instead of making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. This selective strategy is much more beneficial for individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
- Hearing aids are specially manufactured to help you comprehend speech. Because communication is so central in our lives and also because of the irregular way hearing loss progresses, this is an essential function. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested significant resources into maximizing the clarity of speech above everything else. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working inside of hearing aids to ensure that, even in a crowded and noisy space, voices come through clearly.
- Whatever environment you find yourself, your hearing aids can calibrate to it. The acoustics of any given space will change depending on a long list of factors. These adjustments can even be made automatically with some modern hearing aids. Others can be tuned using a smartphone or a dedicated device. You will avoid fewer places because you will be capable of hearing better in a wider variety of settings as your hearing aids make little adjustments.
To put it bluntly, properly treating hearing loss depends on these capabilities. Usually, personal amplifiers don’t have these features.
The right deal for your ears
Along with a diminished ability to hear, neglected hearing loss can also lead to mental decline. Because amplifiers don’t distinguish between frequencies, if you turn them up enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll likely have it up too loud for other wavelengths….and damage your hearing further. And who needs to do that?
Currently, the only recommended treatments for hearing loss, if it’s not caused by earwax, are certain surgeries and hearing aids. Neglecting hearing loss and avoiding treatment doesn’t save you money long term. Overall healthcare costs have been shown to increase by more than 40% with neglected hearing loss. 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