It just feels good to save money, right? It can be exhilarating when you’ve received a great deal on something, and the larger discount, the more pleased you are. It’s a little too easy, then, to make the cost your main consideration, to always choose the least expensive option, to let your coupons make your consumer decisions for you. When it comes to purchasing a pair of hearing aids, going after a bargain can be a huge mistake.
If you require hearing aids to treat hearing loss, choosing the “cheapest” option can have health repercussions. After all, the whole 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. Finding the right hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the trick.
Finding affordable hearing aids – some tips
Affordable is not the same thing as cheap. Affordability, and functionality, are what you should be looking for. That will help you find the best hearing aid possible for your individual budget. These are helpful tips.
Tip #1: Do your homework: Affordable hearing aids are available
Hearing aid’s reputation for being incredibly expensive is not always reflected in the reality of the situation. Most hearing aid makers will partner 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 resolved that really good effective models are too expensive, it could have serious health repercussions.
Tip #2: Find out what your insurance will cover
Some or even all of the cost of hearing aids might be covered by your insurance. Some states, in fact, have laws requiring insurance companies to cover hearing aids for kids or adults. It never hurts to ask. If you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for hearing aids through government programs.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – find hearing aids that can tune to your hearing situation
In some aspects, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. The frame is pretty universal (depending on your sense of style, of course), but the prescription is calibrated for your distinct needs. Hearing aids, too, have distinct settings, which we can calibrate for you, tailored to your precise needs.
You won’t get the same benefits by grabbing some cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf (or, in many cases, results that are even slightly useful). These are more like amplifiers that increase the sound of all frequencies, not just the ones you’re having difficulty hearing. What’s the importance of this? Hearing loss is usually uneven, you can hear some frequencies and voices, but not others. If you make it loud enough to hear the frequencies that are too quiet, you’ll make it uncomfortable 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 functions
There’s a tendency to look at all of the amazing technology in modern hearing aids and think that it’s all extra, simply bells and whistles. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds properly. The sophisticated technology in hearing aids can be dialed in to the user’s level of hearing loss. Many modern designs have artificial intelligence that helps filter out background noise or connect with each other to help you hear better. Additionally, thinking about where (and why) you’ll be using your aids will help you decide on a model that fits your lifestyle.
That technology is crucial to compensate for your hearing loss in a healthy way. A tiny 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
Alright, 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 providers 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 take a closer look. An amplifier:
- Gives the user the ability to adjust the basic volume but that’s about it.
- Takes all sounds and turns up their volume.
- Is typically built cheaply.
A hearing aid, on the other hand:
- Can be programed to recognize distinct sound profiles, such as the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can be shaped specifically to your ears for optimal comfort.
- Has the ability to adjust settings when you change locations.
- Has highly qualified specialists that program your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Has long-lasting batteries.
- Will help safeguard your hearing health.
- Boosts the frequencies that you have a tough time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Can reduce background noise.
Your ability to hear is too essential to go cheap
Everyone has a budget, and that budget is going to limit your hearing aid choices no matter what price range you’re looking in.
This is why an affordable solution tends to be the focus. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term benefits of hearing loss management and hearing aids is well recognized. This is why an affordable solution is what your focus should be. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”