It just feels good to save money, right? Getting a good deal can be thrilling, and more rewarding the bigger the deal. So letting your coupon make your shopping decisions for you, always chasing after the least expensive items, is all too easy. When it comes to buying a pair of hearing aids, going after a bargain can be a huge mistake.
Health repercussions can result from going for the cheapest option if you need hearing aids to manage hearing loss. Avoiding the development of health problems including depression, dementia, and the risk of a fall is the entire point of using hearing aids after all. Choosing the correct hearing aid to fit your hearing needs, lifestyle, and budget is the key.
Finding affordable hearing aids – some tips
Affordable is not equivalent cheap. Look for affordability and functionality. That will help you get the best hearing aid possible for your individual budget. These tips will help.
Tip #1: Research before you buy: Affordable hearing aids are available
Hearing aid’s reputation for being extremely pricey is not always reflected in the reality of the situation. The majority of manufacturers sell hearing aids in a wide range of price points and work with financing companies to make their devices more affordable. If you’ve already made the decision that the most effective hearing aids are out of reach, you’re probably more inclined to search the bargain bin than look for affordable and effective options, and that can have a long-term, negative impact on your hearing and overall health.
Tip #2: Ask what’s covered
Insurance might cover some or all of the costs associated with getting a hearing aid. In fact, some states mandate that insurance cover them for both children and adults. Asking never hurts. There are government programs that frequently supply hearing aids for veterans.
Tip #3: Look for hearing aids that can be calibrated to your hearing loss
Hearing aids are, in some ways, a lot like prescription glasses. Depending on your sense of style, the frame comes in a few options, but the exact prescription differs greatly from person to person. Similarly, hearing aids may look alike cosmetically, but each hearing aid is tuned to the individual user’s hearing loss needs.
You’re not going to get the same benefits by grabbing some cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf (or, in many cases, results that are even remotely helpful). These amplification devices boost all frequencies instead of boosting only the frequencies you’re having a hard time hearing. Why is this so important? Hearing loss is usually irregular, you can hear some frequencies and sounds, but not others. If you raise all frequencies, the ones you have no trouble hearing will be too loud. You will probably end up not using this cheap amplification device because it doesn’t solve your real issue.
Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different functions
It can be tempting to think that all of the modern technology in a good hearing aid is simply “bells and whistles”. But you will need some of that technology to hear sounds clearly. Hearing aids have innovative technologies tuned specifically for people with hearing loss. Many modern designs have artificial intelligence that helps block out background noise or communicate 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 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. Which brings us to our last tip.
Tip #5: An amplification device isn’t the same thing as a hearing aid
Okay, repeat after me: A hearing aid is not the same thing as an amplification device. If you take nothing else away from this article, we hope it’s that. Because hearing amplification devices try really hard to make you think they work the same way as a hearing aid for a fraction of the cost. But that’s dishonest marketing.
Let’s break it down. A hearing amplification device:
- Provides the user with little more than basic volume controls (if that).
- Takes all sounds and makes them louder.
- Is often cheaply made.
A hearing aid, however:
- Can regulate background noise.
- Will help protect your hearing health.
- Is adjusted specifically to your hearing loss symptoms by a highly skilled hearing professional.
- Can be programmed with different settings for different places.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Increases the frequencies that you have a hard time hearing and leaves the frequencies you can hear alone.
- Can be programed to recognize distinct sound profiles, such as the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can create maximum comfort by being molded to your ear.
Your ability to hear is too essential to go cheap
Everyone has a budget, and that budget is going to limit your hearing aid options regardless of what price range you’re looking in.
This is why an affordable option tends to be the emphasis. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term advantages of hearing loss management and hearing aids is well recognized. This is why an affordable solution is where your attention should be. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”
