Anyone who has owned or is familiar with the costs associated with hearing aids, eyeglasses, or similar devices knows that they can be quite expensive. You may even be holding on to a pair of old glasses or your grandma’s hearing aids, hoping to find a better alternative to throwing them out. The good news is, there are actually several options available for you to donate these items for others to benefit from.

Hearing Aid Donation Programs

Donating hearing aids makes these devices more accessible to those who can’t afford new ones. Here is a program that NexGen Hearing recommends:

Lions Club Hearing Aid Recycling Program

Lions Club International is a nonprofit organization that has a hearing aid recycling program. They refurbish the donated hearing aids and give them to those who can’t afford them otherwise. Their mission is to be able to provide more access to hearing aids to people around the world.

If you are interested in donating your hearing aids, visit the Lions Club website to find a local club that can provide you with more information on how to donate hearing aids in your area.

Other Medical Equipment Donations

Other health-related devices and equipment are not as accessible to people due to how much they cost. There are programs available that accept donations for a variety of medical and health-related items. Here are a couple of organizations that NexGen Hearing recommends:

Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre

The Lions International Club also has a recycling program for eyeglasses. All you have to do is find your local Lions Club and drop off your old glasses. Volunteers will take over from there and give them to those who need them or can’t afford new ones.

Canadian Red Cross

The Canadian Red Cross is also a foundation that accepts equipment as donations to help people and communities across Canada. If you have the following equipment, please consider donating it to help provide support to those in need:

• Walkers, crutches, canes

• Wheelchairs

• Bath seats & benches

• Other durable medical equipment

To donate these items, you can bring them to your local health equipment loan locations. In Vancouver, you can find your local services here.

Instead of throwing away your old hearing aids or medical equipment, NexGen Hearing encourages you to donate these items to our mentioned programs. Donating your used hearing aids can help another person gain access to better hearing health.