Finding a bargain just feels great, right? Getting a great deal can be exhilarating, and more gratifying the better the bargain. So letting your coupon make your buying choices 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.
Health consequences can result from choosing the cheapest option if you require hearing aids to treat hearing loss. After all, the entire point of getting hearing aids is to be able to hear well and to prevent health problems associated with hearing loss including cognitive decline, depression, and an increased chance of falls. The key is to choose the hearing aid that best fits your lifestyle, your hearing requirements, and your budget.
Finding affordable hearing aids – some tips
Affordable is not equivalent cheap. Affordability, as well as functionality, are what you should be keeping your eye on. That will help you get the best hearing aid possible for your individual budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #1: Do your homework: Affordable hearing aids exist
Hearing aids have a reputation for putting a dent in your wallet, a reputation, though, is not always reflected by reality. Most hearing aid makers will partner up with financing companies to make the device more budget friendly and also have hearing aids in a variety of prices. If you’ve started exploring 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 might be covered by your insurance. In fact, some states require that insurance cover them for both kids and adults. It never hurts to ask. If you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.
Tip #3: Look for hearing aids that can be tuned to your hearing loss
In some ways, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of style, the frame comes in a few choices, but the exact prescription differs greatly from person to person. Hearing aids, too, have specific settings, which we can tune for you, tailored to your exact 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 amplification devices increase all frequencies instead of boosting only the frequencies you’re having a hard time hearing. Why is this so important? Hearing loss is usually uneven, you can hear some frequencies and voices, but not others. If you raise all frequencies, the ones you have no problem hearing will be too loud. Simply put, it doesn’t really solve the problem and you’ll wind up not using the cheaper device.
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 simply “bells and whistles”. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds clearly. Hearing aids have innovative technologies calibrated specifically for those with hearing loss. Many modern models have artificial intelligence that helps block out background noise or connect with each other to help you hear better. Also, choosing a model that fits your lifestyle will be easier if you take into account where (and why) you’ll be using your hearing aids.
That technology is necessary to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. Hearing aids are a lot more advanced than a simple, tiny speaker that amplifies everything. Which 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 number one takeaway from this article. Because hearing amplification devices try very hard to make you think they work the same way as a hearing aid for a fraction of the price. But that’s dishonest marketing.
Let’s break it down. An amplifier:
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
- Is typically made cheaply.
- Provides the user with little more than simple volume controls (if that).
A hearing aid, on the other hand:
- Can minimize background noise.
- Can be programmed with various settings for different places.
- Has highly skilled professionals that adjust your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Can be programed to recognize specific sound profiles, like the human voice, and amplify them.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Will help you preserve the health of your hearing.
- Can be molded specifically to your ears for optimal comfort.
- Increases the frequencies that you have a tough time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
Your hearing deserves better than cheap
No matter what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your general price range.
That’s why we often highlight the affordable part of this. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term advantages of hearing loss management and hearing aids is well documented. That’s why you should work on an affordable solution. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”
