Finding a bargain just feels great, right? It can be exhilarating when you’ve found a great deal on something, and the bigger discount, the more pleased you are. It’s a little too easy, then, to make the cost your primary consideration, to always go for the least expensive option, to let your coupons make your consumer decisions for you. But chasing a bargain when it comes to purchasing hearing aids can be a big oversight.
Health repercussions can result from going for the cheapest option if you require hearing aids to treat hearing loss. Preventing the development of health issues such as depression, dementia, and the danger of a fall is the whole point of using hearing aids after all. Choosing the right hearing aid to suit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the trick.
Tips for picking affordable hearing aids
Affordable is not equivalent cheap. Affordability, as well as functionality, are what you should be looking for. That will help you find the best hearing aid possible for your personal budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #1: Do your homework: Affordable hearing aids exist
Hearing aid’s reputation for being very pricey is not necessarily reflected in the reality of the situation. Most manufacturers produce hearing aids in a number of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more budget friendly. If you’ve already made the decision that the most reliable hearing aids are out of reach, you’re probably more likely to search the bargain bin than seek out affordable and reliable options, and that can have a lasting, negative affect on your hearing and overall health.
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. There are government programs that often provide hearing aids for veterans.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – find hearing aids that can calibrate to your hearing situation
In some ways, your hearing aids are similar to prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of fashion, the frame comes in a few choices, but the exact prescription differs greatly from person to person. Similarly, hearing aids might look the same 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, in many cases, results that are even slightly helpful). These are more like amplifiers that raise the volume of all frequencies, not just the ones you’re having trouble hearing. Why is this so significant? Usually, hearing loss will only affect some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly fine. If you increase all frequencies, the ones you have no trouble hearing will be too loud. 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
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. Background noise can be filtered out with many of these modern designs and some can communicate with each other. In addition, taking into account where (and why) you’ll be using your aids will help you select a model that fits your lifestyle.
It’s crucial, in order to compensate for your hearing loss in a reliable way, that you have some of this technology. Hearing aids are a lot more advanced than a simple, tiny speaker that amplifies everything. And that brings up our last tip.
Tip #5: An amplification device is not the same thing as a hearing aid
Alright, say this with me: A hearing aid is not the same thing as a hearing amplification device. If you get nothing else from this article, we hope it’s that. Because the manufacturers of amplification devices have a monetary interest in convincing the consumer that their devices do what hearing aids do. But that’s untruthful marketing.
Let’s break it down. A hearing amplification device:
- Takes all sounds and makes them louder.
- Provides the user with little more than simple volume controls (if that).
- Is typically cheaply made.
A hearing aid, on the other hand:
- Boosts the frequencies that you have a hard time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Can identify and boost specific sound types (like the human voice).
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Can be programmed with various settings for different places.
- Has highly qualified specialists that adjust your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Can limit background noise.
- Will help protect your hearing health.
- Can be shaped specifically to your ears for maximum comfort.
Your ability to hear is too crucial to go cheap
Regardless of what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your overall price range.
That’s why we tend to highlight the affordable part of this. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term advantages of hearing loss treatment and hearing aids is well documented. That’s why you should concentrate on an affordable solution. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”