Is it possible to get rid of used hearing aids? Whether they belonged to a departed relative or you decided to upgrade your hearing aids to something fancier such as a cochlear implant, the answer is the same: donate your used hearing aids versus throwing them away.
There are plenty of people suffering from hearing loss who would benefit from donated hearing aid, and a number of organizations out there that collect and distribute those hearing aids to the people in need. Read on to discover why it’s important to donate your used hearing aid and learn how you can do it.
Why It’s Worthwhile to Donate a Pre-owned Hearing Aid
First, here are some important statistics about loss of hearing and hearing aids in the US:
- About 14% of the total population, has hearing loss
- Of all of the adults suffering from loss of hearing 91% percent are above the age of 50
- 15% of school-age children suffer from some kind of hearing loss
- Approximately 29 million adults with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids, but…
- …only 16% (4.6 million) of them actually make use of hearing aids
- First time hearing aid users have an average age of 70, but again…
- Fewer than 30% of people over 70 who need hearing aids have ever had them
This is extremely worrisome. Because health issues like mental decline, increased risk of falling, and depression have been connected to untreated loss of hearing. As a matter of fact, new research comes out every day showing how important hearing is to your general health. These health issues can be prevented and in some cases reversed by hearing aids.
And hearing loss will cost the average family up to $12,000 every year which should be an extremely compelling fact. But hearing aids can actually decrease that cost by up to 50%.
For a family that loses out on $12,000 each year, it may just not be possible for them to afford a hearing aid.
Your pre-owned hearing aid can have a tremendous effect, in the overall health, quality of life and financial well-being, for an individual in need who could not normally afford a hearing aid. It may also help a child in school who has a hard time hearing, which could impact their ability to enter into higher education and make a decent living when they get older.
Donating Your Used Hearing Aids
Old hearing aids are recycled and distributed by numerous manufacturers and volunteer organizations. Stop by and we can help you find a recycling strategy. Or give us a call.