It just feels good to save money, right? Getting a great deal can be thrilling, and more gratifying the better the deal. So letting your coupon make your shopping decisions for you, always chasing after the least expensive products, is all too easy. But chasing a bargain when it comes to purchasing hearing aids can be a big mistake.
If you need hearing aids to manage hearing loss, going for the “cheapest” option can have health repercussions. Avoiding the development of health issues like depression, dementia, and the danger of a fall is the whole point of using hearing aids in the first place. Finding the right hearing aid to suit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the trick.
Choosing affordable hearing aids – some tips
Affordable is not the same thing as cheap. Look for affordability and functionality. This will help you keep within your budget while allowing you to get the ideal hearing aids for your personal needs and budget. These tips will help.
Tip #1: Research before you buy: Affordable hearing aids are available
Hearing aids have a reputation for putting a dent in your pocketbook, a reputation, however, is not necessarily reflected by reality. Most manufacturers sell hearing aids in a number of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more budget friendly. If you’ve started searching 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: Find out what your insurance will cover
Insurance may cover some or all of the costs related to 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. If you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – find hearing aids that can tune to your hearing needs
In some aspects, your hearing aids are similar to prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of style, the frame comes in a few choices, but the exact prescription differs considerably from person to person. Hearing aids, too, have specific settings, which we can calibrate for you, tailored to your exact needs.
Buying a cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf is not going to give you the same benefits (or any helpful results at all in many instances). These are more like amplification devices that increase the volume of all frequencies, not only the ones you’re having trouble hearing. What’s the importance of this? Hearing loss is usually irregular, you can hear certain frequencies and sounds, but not others. If you make it loud enough to hear the frequencies that are low, you’ll make it painful in the frequencies you can hear without a device. You will most likely end up not using this cheap amplification device because it doesn’t solve your real problem.
Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different capabilities
There’s a temptation to view all of the amazing technology in modern hearing aids and imagine that it’s all extra, simply bells and whistles. The problem is that if you wish to hear sounds clearly (sounds like, you know, bells and whistles), you most likely need some of that technology. Hearing aids have specialized technologies calibrated specifically for those with hearing loss. Many modern designs have artificial intelligence that helps filter out background noise or communicate 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.
That technology is crucial to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. Hearing aids are much more sophisticated than a basic, tiny speaker that boosts the volume of everything. 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 aid is not the same thing as an amplification device. This is the most important takeaway from this article. Because hearing amplification devices try really hard to make you think they do the same thing as a hearing aid for a fraction of the cost. But that simply isn’t true.
Let’s break it down. An amplifier:
- Is usually made cheaply.
- Takes all sounds and makes them louder.
- Supplies the user with little more than simple volume controls (if that).
Conversely, a hearing aid:
- Can minimize background noise.
- Is calibrated to amplify only the frequencies you have difficulty hearing.
- Can achieve maximum comfort by being shaped to your ear.
- Has highly qualified specialists that program your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Will help you maintain the health of your hearing.
- Has the capability to adjust settings when you change locations.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Can be programed to identify specific sound profiles, like the human voice, and amplify them.
Your ability to hear is too essential to go cheap
Regardless of what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your general price range.
That’s why we tend to emphasize 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. That’s why you should focus on an affordable solution. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”