Hearing aids - Donating old ones?

Bit of a strange question but as this place is usually the font of knowledge I thought I’d start here…

My Dad managed to acquire a few hearing aids over his last couple of years including a rather plentiful supply of button type batteries. Looking through some of the receipts I found, these devices are not cheap things. They mostly seem to be the in ear, discrete type and have remote controls.

My question is what to do with them as they were in fully working order. I’m sure they must be worth something and I’m wondering if there is a way to donate to an organisation / charity so someone else can get some use out of them.

Any guidance on an area I have no clue about would be appreciated !

James

I’m about to receive a new set of electric ears in a couple of weeks, via the NHS, and it seems to be local policy to ask for the old ones back, so that they can be shipped out to the third world, for the benefit of folks who would otherwise have to do without.

Since the ones you have appear to have been privately sourced, why not pop into your local health centre and see whether the audiology department would be pleased to have them?

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I suspect the in-ear ones will be less useful in the 3rd world than behind (over) the ear ones because the in-ear are custom moulded to fit the user’s ears and the fit has to be good to avoid feedback. But no harm in asking or indeed if there is any after-market then Google will take you there.
Best

David

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The audiology dept of her local District Hospital were pleased to be given back my late Mum’s in-ear hearing aids and her stock of used and unused batteries.

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Yes of course because the NHS can reuse the electronics in a new custom mould if they were NHS-supplied aids. Anyway I agree worth asking them.
Best
David

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Many thanks folks - that’s very useful info.

Try RNID, they may know

Bruce

They call themselves Action on Hearing Loss these days…

If you Google used hearing aid donation UK then you get lots of places ready and willing to accept them.
Best
David

Mentioning RNID reminds me that about 15 years ago I was based in an office in Old Street just down the road from one of their HQ buildings. At the time there was a lot of activism from a segment of the deaf community complaining about the number of non-hearing-impaired people in the RNID management. I was in the office one day (quite a rare visit) and there was a lot of noise from outside. My colleagues explained it was a protest outside the RNID, which involved lots of loudly beaten drums. The logic being the hearing-impaired employees of whom they approved weren’t affected, whilst the others were driven mad by the noise.

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