Finding a bargain just feels good, right? It can be thrilling when you’ve found a good deal on something, and the bigger discount, the more pleased you are. So letting your coupon make your buying decisions for you, always chasing after the least expensive items, is all too easy. But chasing a bargain when it comes to buying hearing aids can be a big oversight.
If you need hearing aids to manage hearing loss, choosing the “cheapest” option can have health consequences. Preventing the development of health issues such as depression, dementia, and the risk of a fall is the entire point of using hearing aids in the first place. The trick is to choose the hearing aid that best suits your lifestyle, your hearing requirements, and your budget.
Tips for picking affordable hearing aids
Cheap and affordable aren’t necessarily the same thing. Affordability, and functionality, are what you should be keeping your eye on. That will help you find the most ideal hearing aid possible for your individual budget. These tips will help.
You can find affordable hearing aids.
Hearing aids have a reputation for putting a dent in your pocketbook, a reputation, though, is not always represented by reality. Most hearing aid makers will partner 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 decided that really good effective models are out of reach, it could have serious health consequences.
Tip #2: Find out what your insurance will cover
Some or even all of the expense of hearing aids could be covered by your insurance. Actually, some states require that insurance cover them for both kids and adults. Asking never hurts. If you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – choose hearing aids that can calibrate to your hearing situation
Hearing aids are, in some ways, 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 might look the same cosmetically, but each hearing aid is calibrated to the individual user’s hearing loss needs.
You won’t get the same benefits 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 trouble with. What’s the importance of this? Hearing loss is usually irregular, you can hear certain frequencies and sounds, but not others. If you raise the volume enough to hear the frequencies that are low, you’ll make it uncomfortable in the frequencies you can hear without amplification. You will probably end up not using this cheap amplification device because it doesn’t solve your real problem.
Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different functions
It can be tempting to believe that all of the modern technology in a good hearing aid is just “bells and whistles”. The problem with this idea is that if you wish to hear sounds properly (sounds like, you know, bells and whistles), you probably need some of that technology. The sophisticated technology in hearing aids can be dialed in to the user’s level of hearing loss. Many modern models have artificial intelligence that helps block out background noise or communicate with each other to help you hear better. Also, selecting a model that fits your lifestyle will be easier if you consider where (and why) you’ll be using your hearing aids.
That technology is essential to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. 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 is not a hearing aid
Okay, repeat after me: a hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid. If you take nothing else away from this article, we hope it’s that. Because hearing amplification devices try very hard to make you believe they do the same thing as a hearing aid for a fraction of the price. But that’s dishonest marketing.
Let’s break it down. An amplifier:
- Gives the user the ability to control the basic volume but that’s about it.
- Is typically cheaply built.
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
On the other hand, a hearing aid:
- Is calibrated to amplify only the frequencies you have difficulty hearing.
- Can be programed to identify specific sound profiles, like the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can be molded specifically to your ears for optimal comfort.
- Has long-lasting batteries.
- Has highly qualified specialists that adjust your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Will help you safeguard the health of your hearing.
- Can be programmed with different settings for different places.
- Can regulate background noise.
Your ability to hear is too crucial to go cheap
No matter what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your general price range.
This is why an affordable solution tends to be the emphasis. The long-term benefits of hearing aids and hearing loss management are well recognized. That’s why you should focus on an affordable solution. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”