With the current cost of living crisis we are all looking at ways to save money. Unfortunately health care is something we don’t want to scrimp on and understandably so. Hearing health care often gets overlooked and is something that can be detrimental to our mental health and general well-being. Hearing loss sufferers can feel isolated from general conversation and a sense of loneliness can set in. The cost of hearing aids can be far too much for some to bear with the average cost of a pair today approx. £2,500 – £3,000 at most highstreet Audiology clinics. There are solutions to limit this burden that can be budget friendly.
One option is to be fitted with free NHS hearing aids which are available across England. A simple referral from your GP to a local supplier is all that’s needed. I have had a lot of experience with NHS hearing aids and they have been very successful for a lot of people – these hearing aids are fully digital and can enrich a person’s quality of life, enabling them to hear friends and loved ones with ease and improve their own mental health and well-being.
I strongly believe NHS hearing can be a fantastic way to start and even complete ones journey to better hearing, but I also accept that for some, it’s a difficult thing to accept. The NHS hearing aids are generally non-desirable and are often associated with being ‘large beige bananas’ behind the ear – it may surprise you that they are perhaps not as large as you fear; but with all that said, there is still a stigma that surrounds these NHS hearing aids and a lot of people just do not feel comfortable with the idea of wearing these devises in public, thus making them redundant if they’re not being worn.
This is why we have looked at supplying budget friendly hearing aids that are barely visible – we have a range to suit all budgets and can be viewed here with a breakdown of their differences and functionalities. We are able to offer these hearing aids at the fraction of the cost when compared with the highstreet due to our streamlined approach, lack of a permanent highstreet presence and an already built infrastructure used to help customers with their glasses. The majority of our hearing aids are fully digital and are very comparable with NHS and traditional private hearing aids from a technological stand point.
This approach isn’t for everyone, some prefer the convenience of popping into their local Audiology store if any problems arise. We have worked hard to continue to offer strong after care. Advancements in remote technologies are only making this easier and more effective but with that said, certain hearing loss types are better suited to having a deeper look from an Audiologist (NHS or highstreet) and this is something we can discuss with you by booking a free consultation here.
A third option is a combination of the above, a hybrid if you will. Everyone with a hearing loss in England are entitled to a free NHS hearing aids even if you already have private hearing aids. Many use their NHS hearing aids for certain scenarios but opt to use a more discreet hearing aid (often a budget aid) for public events such as family or friend gatherings. The advantage of this is that you will have regular hearing tests via the NHS and these results can be used to re-adjust your purchased hearing aids as well as NHS device if needed. There’s also an element of extra reassurance due to fact there being a fall-back option if one hearing aid set developed an issue or needs an adjustment.
In summary, improving your hearing health does not have to be costly – there are many advantages in going to the highstreet, they do supply the most state of the art hearing aids but there are also disadvantages, often the higher cost. The purpose of this article is express and promote the fact that there are other options available; and these options may be kinder to the pockets while being as effective in improving your hearing needs.
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