Heartspring's Donor Hearing Aid Program – The Best Kept Secret in Town

Hearing Center customer Beulah Jones Mrs. Beulah Jones had been wearing the same hearing aids since 1992 when she decided to attend a hearing seminar at Heartspring in April 2006. After the seminar, she signed up for the free hearing tests that were offered by the Heartspring Hearing Center. She knew that her hearing had declined over the years but there was just no money in her budget to purchase new hearing aids. When she discussed her problem with the Heartspring audiologist, she learned that she could get the hearing aids she needed so badly through the Heartspring Donor Hearing Aid Program.

Heartspring’s Donor Hearing Aid Program provides hearing aids at a minimal cost, as well as testing, evaluation and follow-up, to hearing impaired clients who cannot afford the full cost of these services. This unique program is the only one of its kind in Kansas, and serves clients from across the State and border counties in Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado. Clients are referred to the program through a network of 56 agencies statewide. Heartspring provides testing, fitting, aural rehabilitation, adjustments and follow-up visits at no charge to the client. The Donor Hearing Aid Program also conducts free screenings during community outreach events several times each year.

Mrs. Jones got her new hearing aids in early May. They have made a big difference in her quality of life. “Now I don’t have to turn my television up as high as it will go,” she says. “I know my neighbors appreciate that! I can hear what people say now. I used to have to ask people to repeat themselves and not everyone likes that. These new aids have just improved my life so much!” Her neighbors know that she is hearing impaired and look out for her but she says it’s hard to have to depend on other people so much. Thanks to her new hearing aids, Mrs. Jones was able to hear the storm sirens for herself when they went off last month.

To be eligible for participation in the program, applicants must demonstrate financial need (identified as having an income of 150% of poverty level or less.) A client's overall medical costs due to disability are also taken into account. Heartspring provides testing, fitting, aural rehabilitation, adjustments and follow-up visits at no charge to the client. The program is funded entirely through grants and donations from individuals.

One in every ten Americans (28 million) has hearing loss. According to the National Center on Hearing Assessment and Management, 30% of those who could be successfully treated with hearing aids cannot afford them. This lack of treatment can negatively impact social and family relationships, work productivity and overall quality of life. Studies have linked untreated hearing loss to depression, loneliness, reduced alertness, and impaired memory. The Donor Hearing Aid Program served 385 clients in 2005, almost double the number from 2004. Yet many individuals who would benefit remain unaware of the program.

“We are the best kept secret in town, both in terms of helping those in need get hearing aids and having people bring us their unused hearing aids” says Cyndi Chapman, Director of Community Services at Heartspring. “The gift of hearing is so very important in our world. Self esteem, awareness, balance, processing and communication are all affected if you can’t hear. So imagine a young child trying to enter his or her world without this capacity. Imagine an adult trying to function without these qualities. Hearing is as important to our everyday life as vision. We owe it to our public to help as many people as possible to learn, discover, work, and interact in their world with the support of hearing aids.”

Donations of hearing aids that are no longer in use are welcomed by the Donor Hearing Aid Program at Heartspring. By collecting donated hearing aids and reconditioning them, the Donor Hearing Aid Program is able to maximize the number of clients served. All hearing aids are accepted, regardless of their condition. Used aids that cannot be reconditioned are recycled. Donations are tax deductible. Used hearing aids can be dropped off or mailed to:

Heartspring Donor Hearing Aid Program
8700 East 29th Street North
Wichita, KS 67226

The Donor Hearing Aid Program is also supported by the Lions Clubs of Kansas, who have set up collection boxes for used hearing aids across the state. Last year, almost 300 used hearing aids were collected for reconditioning or recycling.

Heartspring’s Donor Hearing Aid Program is in the middle of an ambitious expansion. Although the Donor Hearing Aid Program has always been available to anyone showing need, the program traditionally focused on serving older adults. In 2004, the decision was made to expand the program to include more children. This is in keeping with the Heartspring mission, which is to help children with special needs grow and learn on a path to a more independent life.

For children suffering from hearing loss, the condition often results in serious speech and communication delays. Children with even mild hearing loss miss up to 50% of what their teachers say in the classroom and are ten times as likely to be held back at least one grade. Infants with hearing loss can be fitted with hearing aids as young as 4 weeks old, and should receive early intervention services beginning before the age of 6 months. Children with hearing loss who do not receive those services can cost schools an additional $420,000 in special education costs. The lifetime cost for these children can total approximately $1,000,000 each. These factors make it very important that children who need hearing aids receive them. Unfortunately, not all families can afford the costs – over $3500 per child. Most insurance does not cover the cost of hearing aids and Medicare will pay only a small portion. Heartspring’s Donor Hearing Aid Program has made a commitment to make sure that the children we serve get the hearing aids that they need. Last year, we were able to provide three children with hearing aids through the program. Our goal is to increase that number to ten in the next year.

Providing services to increased numbers of children brings a new set of challenges to the program. The cost is dramatically higher than the cost for providing services to an adult. Guidelines for pediatric audiology set forth by the American Academy of Audiologists and the American Speech/Language Hearing Association recommend that two audiologists test children under five. Children must be fitted with specialized digital hearing aids, which are more expensive (starting at $1500 per aid). In order to determine if a child's hearing loss is progressive, children must be seen for follow-up every 3 months rather than twice a year. These additional steps are necessary to insure proper speech and language development.

“Everything just got better when Megan got her hearing aids” says Sherrill Bailey, the mother of one of the children who received hearing aids through Heartspring’s Donor Hearing Aid Program last year. “When she first had the aids put on, her face just lit up. Now she can hear the birds sing.” Sherrill noticed an immediate improvement in Megan’s speech, and says that her daughter is much more confident since getting her hearing aids. She joins in conversations and plays with her friends more.

When Megan was first diagnosed with hearing loss, her parents were committed to making sure that their daughter had what she needed. However, they were concerned about how they would be able to afford the high cost of pediatric hearing aids. “We were so relieved to learn that there was a program at Heartspring that could help us,” says Sherrill.

In addition to her hearing loss, Megan has Cerebral Palsy. She has worked very hard to learn to walk independently, and this spring she took her first unassisted steps. Her mother says that her new hearing aids made a tremendous difference in her balance and that she started walking better immediately after she received them. Amazingly, four year old Megan never complains about wearing her hearing aids or tries to take them out. She is very happy to be able to hear the birds sing.

Heartspring Donor Hearing Aid Program
8700 East 29th Street North
Wichita, KS 67226