Saving money just feels great, right? Getting a great deal can be thrilling, and more rewarding the better the bargain. So letting your coupon make your buying choices for you, always looking for the least expensive items, is all too easy. But chasing a bargain when it comes to buying hearing aids can be a big oversight.
Health repercussions can result from choosing the cheapest option if you require hearing aids to treat hearing loss. Preventing the development of health issues like depression, dementia, and the danger of a fall is the entire point of using hearing aids in the first place. Choosing the correct hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the key.
Choosing affordable hearing aids – some tips
Affordable is not the same thing as cheap. Affordability, and functionality, are what you should be keeping your eye on. This will help you stay within your budget while enabling you to get the ideal hearing aids for your personal needs and budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #1: Research before you buy: Affordable hearing aids exist
Hearing aid’s reputation for being extremely expensive is not always reflected in the reality of the situation. Most hearing aid manufacturers will partner up with financing companies to make the device more affordable and also have hearing aids in a variety of prices. If you’ve started searching the bargain bin for hearing aids because you’ve already decided that really good effective models are out of reach, it could have serious health repercussions.
Tip #2: Ask what’s covered
Insurance might cover some or all of the costs associated with getting a hearing aid. As a matter of fact, some states mandate that insurance cover them for both children and 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 similar to prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of style, the frame comes in a few options, but the exact prescription differs significantly from person to person. Hearing aids, too, have distinct settings, which we can tune for you, tailored to your precise needs.
You’re not going to get the same benefits by grabbing some cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf (or any helpful results at all in many cases). These are more like amplifiers that raise the sound of all frequencies, not only the ones you’re having problems hearing. Why is this so important? Typically, hearing loss will only affect some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly. If you raise the volume enough to hear the frequencies that are too quiet, you’ll make it painful in the frequencies you can hear without a device. Simply put, it doesn’t really solve the problem and you’ll wind up not using the cheaper device.
Tip #4: Not all hearing aids do the same things
There’s a tendency to look at all of the amazing technology in modern hearing aids and imagine that it’s all extra, simply bells and whistles. The problem is that in order to hear sounds properly (sounds like, you know, bells and whistles), you likely need some of that technology. Hearing aids have specialized technologies tuned specifically for people with hearing loss. Many modern designs have artificial intelligence that helps block out background noise or communicate with each other to help you hear better. Additionally, considering where (and why) you’ll be using your aids will help you select a model that fits your lifestyle.
It’s essential, in order to compensate for your hearing loss in an efficient way, that you have some of this technology. Hearing aids are much more sophisticated than a simple, tiny speaker that amplifies everything. Which brings up our last tip.
Tip #5: An amplification device is not the same thing as a hearing aid
Alright, repeat after 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 financial interest in persuading the consumer that their devices work like hearing aids. But that simply isn’t true.
Let’s take a closer look. A hearing amplification device:
- Gives the user the ability to control the basic volume but that’s about it.
- Is typically cheaply made.
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
On the other hand, a hearing aid:
- Can create maximum comfort by being molded to your ear.
- Increases the frequencies that you have a hard time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Has highly skilled professionals that program your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Can be programmed with various settings for different locations.
- Can reduce background noise.
- Can be programed to recognize specific sound profiles, like the human voice, and amplify them.
- Will help you preserve the health of your hearing.
Your ability to hear is too crucial to go cheap
Regardless of what your budget is, that budget will restrict your options depending on your general price range.
That’s why we normally highlight the affordable part of this. The long-term advantages of hearing aids and hearing loss management are well recognized. That’s why you should work on an affordable solution. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”