Finding a bargain just feels good, right? Getting a good deal can be exhilarating, and more gratifying the better the deal. So letting your coupon make your shopping decisions 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 mistake.
Health consequences can result from choosing the cheapest option if you require hearing aids to manage hearing loss. Avoiding the development of health issues such as depression, dementia, and the danger 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.
Tips for picking affordable hearing aids
Cheap and affordable aren’t always the same thing. Affordability, and functionality, are what you should be looking for. This will help you keep within your budget while allowing you to get the ideal hearing aids for your personal needs and budget. These tips will help.
Tip #1: You can find affordable hearing aids.
Hearing aids have a reputation for taking a toll on your wallet, a reputation, though, is not necessarily represented by reality. Most 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 too expensive, you’re probably more likely to search the bargain bin than seek out affordable and reliable options, and that can have a long-term, harmful affect on your hearing and overall health.
Tip #2: Ask what’s covered
Some or even all of the expense of hearing aids might be covered by your insurance. Actually, some states mandate that insurance cover them for both children and adults. It never hurts to ask. There are government programs that often supply hearing aids for veterans.
Tip #3: Your hearing loss is unique – choose hearing aids that can calibrate to your hearing needs
In some ways, your hearing aids are a lot like prescription glasses. The frame is rather universal (depending on your sense of fashion, 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.
Purchasing a cheap hearing device from the clearance shelf is not going to give you the same benefits (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 significant? Typically, hearing loss will only affect some frequencies while you can hear others perfectly. If you raise the volume enough to hear the frequencies that are low, you’ll make it painful in the frequencies you can hear without amplification. Simply put, it doesn’t really solve the problem and you’ll end up not using the cheaper device.
Tip #4: Different hearing aids have different capabilities
There’s a tendency to view all of the amazing technology in modern hearing aids and imagine that it’s all extra, just bells and whistles. The problem with this idea is that if you wish to hear sounds properly (sounds like, you know, bells and whistles), you most likely need some of that technology. Hearing aids have specialized technologies calibrated specifically for those who have 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.
It’s essential, in order to compensate for your hearing loss in an efficient way, that you have some of this technology. Hearing aids are much more advanced than a basic, tiny speaker that boosts the volume of everything. Which brings up our last tip.
Tip #5: A hearing amplification device is not a hearing aid
Okay, repeat after me: A hearing aid is not the same thing as an amplification device. If you get nothing else from this article, we hope it’s that. Because hearing amplification devices try really hard to make you believe they work the same way as a hearing aid for a fraction of the price. But that’s untruthful marketing.
Let’s break it down. A hearing amplification device:
- 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 cheaply built.
A hearing aid, however:
- Will help you safeguard the health of your hearing.
- Has highly skilled professionals that adjust your hearing aids to your hearing loss symptoms.
- Can be programed to recognize distinct sound profiles, such as the human voice, and amplify them.
- Can be molded specifically to your ears for maximum comfort.
- Has the capability to adjust settings when you change locations.
- Can reduce background noise.
- Has batteries that are long lasting.
- Is tuned to amplify only the frequencies you have a hard time hearing.
Your hearing deserves better than cheap
No matter what your budget is, that budget will determine your options depending on your overall price range.
This is why an affordable option tends to be the emphasis. When it comes to hearing loss, the long term benefits of hearing loss management and hearing aids is well documented. That’s why you need to focus on an affordable solution. Just remember that your hearing deserves better than “cheap.”
