What to do with used hearing aids | Who takes hearing aids?
“Are Dad’s hearing aids really reusable?
YES! Used Hearing Aids Needed!
Many organizations take used hearing aids, clean, inspect, and refurbish them, and move them on to the people who need them. Other programs accept used hearing aids, and through partners who dismantle them and use the components, receive credit to buy new hearing aids for qualifying applicants.
Either way, used hearing aids can live on and provide great benefits to people who might not otherwise be able to attain these life-changing devices.
Lions Nevada and California
Several organizations operate independently but are affiliated with and sponsored by state and local Lions Clubs. While each organization has similar missions, they are likely subject to individual state laws and statutes and operate as separate entities.
Please see a list of these organizations following…
The Ear of the Lion
The Ear of the Lion is a non-profit, 501c3 foundation, formed in 1982 by the Lions Clubs of California and Nevada. Staffed primarily by volunteer Lions, Ear of the Lion provides refurbished hearing aids to U.S. citizens or legal residents of the U.S. (pending income verification). The patient is then assigned to an Audiologist or Hearing Aid Dispenser who works with the Foundation in their area. For a full description of the process, see the Ear of the Lion website.
Who takes hearing aids?
Mail your hearing aids to:
Ear of the Lion
850 San Jose Ave., STE 115
Clovis, CA 93612
Please be sure to include your name and address (if you would like a tax donation receipt)
Please contact Ear of the Lion directly with any questions: email or tel: (800) 327-8077
Wisconsin Lions
Wisconsin Lions Foundation
Per their website, “The Wisconsin Lions Foundation offers low-cost hearing aids to Wisconsinites who cannot afford to purchase them on their own & who do not qualify for state-funded assistance.” The WLF collects hearing aids across Wisconsin at their eyeglasses/Hearing Aid Donation Boxes and from across the United States by mail. Hearing aids are collected and sent to a major US hearing aid provider where they are processed and the Wisconsin Lions Foundation is given credits towards the purchase of new hearing aids. Hearing Aids go to recipients in Wisconsin.
Who takes hearing aids?
Mail your hearing aids to:
Wisconsin Lions Foundation
3834 County Road A
Rosholt WI 54473
The Wisconsin Lions Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Please contact the Wisconsin Lions Foundation directly with any questions: email or tel: (715) 677-4969
Oregon Lions
Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation
The ROAR! Hearing Assistance Program is the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation’s hearing aid collection and distribution program. Lions Clubs throughout the State of Oregon have placed donation boxes in locations for the community to donate hearing aids and eyeglasses, as well as hearing aid batteries. The hearing aids are sorted and refurbished to help people in need. The program considers applicants based on household income levels.
At the time of publication, ROAR is in the process of finding a vendor to refurbish the devices.
Who takes hearing aids?
Mail your hearing aids to:
OLSHF: ROAR!
1010 NW 22nd Ave, #144
Portland, OR 97210
Please contact ROAR! directly with any questions: email or tel: (503) 413-7399
Virginia Lions
Central Virginia Lions Hearing Aid Bank
The Central Virginia Hearing Aid Bank provides hearing Aids to the residents of the Virginia Cities and Counties listed HERE. Their mission as stated: “Our mission is to provide no-cost hearing aids to those who have a measured hearing loss and a verifiable financial need.” Central Virginia Hearing Aid Bank collects used hearing aids of all types. They select the newest and best to match the measured hearing loss of an approved applicant.
Mail your hearing aids to:
Central Virginia Lions Hearing Aid Bank
10286 Staples Mill Road – 131
Glen Allen, Virginia 23060
If you wish to receive acknowledgment for your donation please download this form, complete and include it with your hearing aids. Values are not provided in the acknowledgement letter.
Please contact the Central Virginia Lions Hearing Aid Bank directly with any questions: email or tel: (804) 248-9938
The Hearing Aid Project
Sertoma is the founding partner of Hearing Charities of America (a 501c3 not-for-profit organization) which operates The Hearing Aid Project.
The Hearing Aid Project takes used hearing aids from across the country. Upon receipt, they evaluate the hearing aids and the best of the best move into into the project’s hearing aid bank. The remaining devices are distributed to other hearing aid charities that can place these devices with programs in the US and internationally. Devices that do not qualify for either channel may be disassembled, and their usable components may be sold to hearing aid manufacturers for credit towards the purchase of earmolds and receivers for the Hearing Aid Project. Unusable components are sent for electronics recycling.
Throughout 39 states, cooperating audiologists refer patients to The Hearing Aid Project, where they are directed to a list of local and state resources that may qualify them for assistance with the procurement of a hearing aid device. While there are many programs that may provide low-income applicants assistance getting a hearing aid, there are many that fall into a gap or over-qualify. Medicare does not provide coverage, for example, despite the fact that many people with hearing loss are over 65.
The Hearing Aid Project bridges the gap, providing hearing aids for those who don’t qualify for other programs.
Sertoma is composed of more than 250 clubs across the US and Canada, this civic service organization’s primary goal is to reach those affected by hearing loss and communicative disorders.
Who takes hearing aids?
Mail your hearing aids to:
The Hearing Aid Project
720 Main Street, FL 1
Kansas City, MO 64105
If you wish to donate hearing aids, please submit this form.
Please contact the Hearing Aid Project directly with any questions: email or tel: 816-895-2410
Used Hearing Aids: Conclusion
Executors of estates often have so many items to consider and make decisions on, such as, “Who takes hearing aids”, it can be oppressive. Something as small and innocuous as a hearing aid might seem inconsequential in light of the whole. However, knowing where these reusable items can go, and do some good is a way of helping your loved one’s personal items and memory move forward in a positive way. Sorting through the piles of things left behind is a difficult task. When we find ways of channeling such challenges into goodwill, it is Executorium’s mission to create awareness of these opportunities.
Read More…
Unused Medical Supplies and Equipment: National Council on Aging Guide