It just feels great to save money, right? It can be exhilarating when you’ve found a great deal on something, and the larger discount, the more satisfied you are. So letting your coupon make your shopping decisions for you, always going after the least expensive products, 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 need hearing aids to treat hearing loss. After all, the whole point of using hearing aids is to be able to hear clearly and to prevent health problems related to hearing loss like cognitive decline, depression, and an increased chance of falls. Finding the right hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the key.
Tips for finding affordable hearing aids
Affordable is not equivalent cheap. Keep an eye on affordability and functionality. That will help you get the most ideal hearing aid possible for your personal budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #2: You can obtain affordable hearing aids.
Hearing aid’s reputation for being very expensive is not always reflected in the reality of the situation. Most hearing aid manufacturers 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 exploring the bargain bin for hearing aids because you’ve already decided that really good effective models are too expensive, it could have significant health consequences.
Tip #2: Find out what your insurance will cover
Insurance might 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. Asking never hurts. There are government programs that often provide hearing aids for veterans.
Tip #3: Look for hearing aids that can be calibrated to your hearing loss
Hearing aids are, in some aspects, similar to prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of fashion, the frame comes in a few options, but the exact prescription differs greatly from person to person. Hearing aids, too, have specific settings, which we can tune for you, personalized to your precise needs.
You’re not going to get the same results by grabbing some cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf (or any useful results at all in many instances). These are more like amplifiers that raise the sound of all frequencies, not only the ones you’re having problems hearing. What’s the significance of this? Hearing loss is often irregular, you can hear some frequencies and voices, but not others. If you raise the volume enough to hear the frequencies that are too quiet, you’ll make it uncomfortable in the frequencies you can hear without a device. Simply put, it doesn’t really solve the problem and you’ll end up not using the cheaper device.
Tip #4: Not all hearing aids have the same features
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 clearly (sounds such as, you know, bells and whistles), you probably need some of that technology. Hearing aids have specialized technologies calibrated specifically for those with hearing loss. Many modern models have artificial intelligence that helps filter out background noise or connect 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.
It’s crucial, in order to compensate for your hearing loss in a reliable way, that you have some of this technology. A little speaker that cranks the volume up on everything is far from the sophistication of a modern hearing aid. And that brings us to our last tip.
Tip #5: An amplification device isn’t the same thing as a hearing aid
Alright, say this with 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 monetary interest in persuading the consumer that their devices do what hearing aids do. But that just isn’t true.
Let’s have a closer look. A hearing amplification device:
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
- Gives the user the ability to adjust the basic volume but that’s about it.
- Is typically made cheaply.
A hearing aid, on the other hand:
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Can be programed to identify specific sound profiles, such as the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can regulate background noise.
- Has the capability to change settings when you change locations.
- Can create maximum comfort by being shaped to your ear.
- Is adjusted specifically to your hearing loss symptoms by a highly skilled hearing professional.
- Is calibrated to amplify only the frequencies you have difficulty hearing.
- Will help you maintain the health of your hearing.
Your ability to hear is too important to go cheap
No matter what your budget is, that budget will restrict your options depending on your overall price range.
That’s why we tend to highlight the affordable part of this. 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.”