Who doesn’t love finding a good bargain? But when it comes to your health, be careful what you buy and pay attention to the small details.

We know, it can be confusing, the names are rather similar, but hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are not equivalent. And making the wrong selection could have important ramifications for your hearing and your overall health.

What is a hearing amplifier?

A little device that goes in your ear, a hearing amplifier increases the volume of external sound. Technically categorized as personal sound amplification products by the government, these gadgets tend to be fairly basic and one-dimensional. A hearing amplifier is like turning the volume of the world up.

These devices are typically not recommended for individuals with moderate to significant hearing loss because of their one-size-fits-all approach.

Hearing amplifier aren’t hearing aids

Once people learn that hearing amplifiers aren’t recommended for people with even modest hearing loss, the differences between the two devices begin to become rather stark. Hearing aids, obviously, are encouraged for people with hearing loss.

Both hearing aids and hearing amplifiers make things louder. But one of these devices has a much higher level of amplification technology and sophistication.

• Hearing aids can be tuned to your environment. The acoustics of any given space will change depending on a long list of variables. Some hearing aids can adjust to these changes automatically. Others can be calibrated using a smartphone or a dedicated device. You will avoid fewer locations because you will be able to hear better in a wider variety of settings as your hearing aids make minute adjustments.
• Selecting and amplifying speech is one of the main features of a hearing aid. Because communication is so essential in our lives and also because of the irregular way hearing loss progresses, this is an important function. As a result, hearing aid manufacturers have invested monumental resources into enhancing the clarity of speech above everything else. There are state-of-the-art algorithms and processes working within hearing aids to make sure that, even in a crowded and noisy place, voices come through clearly.
• Hearing aids are made to identify and boost specific frequencies of sound. Because hearing loss usually advances wavelength by wavelength. Either high-frequency sounds or low-frequency sounds commonly vanish first. Instead of making everything louder, hearing aids work to plug holes in what you’re hearing. For people who have hearing loss, this selective approach is more effective.

Simply put, these features are vital components of properly treating hearing loss. And these are qualities that are not present in the majority of personal hearing amplifiers.

Finding the best option at an affordable price

Neglected hearing loss can bring about cognitive decline, not to mention increasingly diminished hearing abilities. Because amplifiers don’t distinguish between frequencies, if you turn them up enough to hear what you’re missing, you’ll likely have it up too loud for other wavelengths….and damage your hearing further. And that’s not good for anyone.

Unless your hearing loss is being caused by earwax, hearing aids and certain surgeries are the only approved treatments for hearing loss at this time. Ignoring hearing loss and bypassing treatment doesn’t save you money ultimately. General healthcare costs have been shown to increase by over 40% with untreated hearing loss. Fortunately, there are affordable solutions. Just ask us.

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References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373077