It just feels good to save money, right? Getting a good deal can be exhilarating, and more gratifying the better the deal. It’s a little too easy, then, to make the cost your primary criteria, to always choose the least expensive option, to let your coupons make your consumer choices for you. But chasing a bargain when it comes to buying hearing aids can be a big mistake.
Health consequences can result from going for the cheapest option if you need hearing aids to treat hearing loss. Preventing the development of health issues including 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 key.
Tips for choosing affordable hearing aids
Affordable is not equivalent cheap. Look for affordability as well as functionality. That will help you get the best hearing aid possible for your individual budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #1: Research before you buy: Affordable hearing aids are available
Hearing aid’s reputation for being very expensive is not necessarily reflected in the reality of the situation. Most hearing aid manufacturers will partner with financing companies to make the device more budget friendly and also have hearing aids in a number of prices. If you’ve already made the decision that the most effective 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 long-term, detrimental affect on your hearing and overall health.
Tip #2: Find out what your insurance will cover
Some or even all of the cost of hearing aids could be covered by your insurance. Some states, in fact, have laws mandating insurance companies to cover hearing aids for children or adults. Asking never hurts. There are government programs that frequently provide hearing aids for veterans.
Tip #3: Look for hearing aids that can be tuned to your hearing loss
In some aspects, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. The frame is pretty universal (depending on your sense of fashion, of course), but the prescription is adjusted for your specific needs. Hearing aids, too, have specific settings, which we can tune for you, tailored to your exact needs.
Purchasing a cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf won’t give you the same benefits (or any helpful results at all in many cases). These amplification devices boost all frequencies rather than boosting only the frequencies you’re having trouble with. Why is this so important? Normally, hearing loss will only impact some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly. If you make it loud enough to hear the frequencies that are too quiet, you’ll make it painful in the frequencies you can hear without a device. In other words, it doesn’t actually solve the problem and you’ll end up not using the cheaper device.
Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different capabilities
It can be tempting to think 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 specialized technologies tuned 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. In addition, thinking about where (and why) you’ll be using your aids will help you choose a model that fits your lifestyle.
That technology is necessary to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. A little speaker that turns 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 isn’t a hearing aid
Okay, say this with me: A hearing aid is not the same thing as a hearing amplification device. This is the most important takeaway from this article. Because the manufacturers of amplification devices have a monetary interest in convincing the consumer that their devices work like hearing aids. But that’s untruthful marketing.
Let’s have a closer look. A hearing amplification device:
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
- Is usually made cheaply.
- Gives the user the ability to control the basic volume but that’s about all.
On the other hand, a hearing aid:
- Can be programmed with different settings for different locations.
- Has highly qualified professionals that adjust your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Can regulate background noise.
- Increases the frequencies that you have a difficult time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Can be programed to recognize distinct sound profiles, like the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can be molded specifically to your ears for optimal comfort.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Will help you safeguard the health of your hearing.
Your hearing deserves better than cheap
Regardless of what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your general price range.
This is why an affordable option tends to be the focus. The long-term advantages of hearing aids and hearing loss treatment are well documented. This is why an affordable solution is what your focus should be. Don’t forget, cheap is less than your hearing deserves.”