Global hearing aid recycling scheme boosted by care home support

The founder of a hearing aid recycling campaign has visited one of our Dorset care home’s to thank residents and staff for supporting her work.

Zoe Fawcett-Eustace called in at Canford Chase in Poole to collect more than 230 no-longer-needed hearing aids which will now be repurposed to help some of the world’s poorest people.

The devices were gathered at the Western Road home and our 20 other care homes in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex.

It followed an agreement last year between the provider and Zoe’s organisation, Hearing Aid Recycling, under which the homes act as collection points for used or unwanted hearing aids to avoid them having to go to landfill.

Colten Care became the first UK care home provider to partner with the charity, encouraging residents, families and people in the community around each home to donate their old devices.

Speaking at Canford Chase, Zoe said: “We’re so grateful for Colten Care’s help. The donated hearing aids will make such a difference to people in need here and around the world.

“They will genuinely help to transform lives from the very young to the very old.

“We already have activities happening in countries such as Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“We couldn’t do this without the incredible support of everyone who donates and our amazing collection centres who receive, hold and send us the aids.

“It’s such a privilege to work on a project that does so much good.”

Zoe, who began to lose her hearing aged just 14, added: “I had the good fortune to be born in the UK so I was given hearing aids as soon as I needed them. The NHS looked after me for years.

“I eventually invested in private hearing aids, upgrading them to stream seamlessly to my phone.

“At that point I asked my audiologist what I should do with my extensive collection of old ones, both NHS and private.

“I was completely dismayed to be told to ‘pop them in a drawer, keep them for spares, ultimately throw them away’.

“Given our small planet of scarce resources and much need, I couldn’t bear the thought that such amazing tiny pieces of technology would just go to landfill.

“We have the knowhow to extend their productive lives and help tens of millions of deaf people around the world who would otherwise have no access to hearing aids. That’s why I set up Hearing Aid Recycling.”

In Malawi, charity partner and audiologist Fletcher Chisalipo has already received a batch of repurposed hearing aids from the charity.

He cited the case of Precious Banda, a 14-year-old boy who suffered from severe malaria when he was seven.

“He lost his hearing as a result of quinine treatment for the disease,” Fletcher explained. “He dropped out of school because he couldn’t hear in class, and his friends were mocking him.

“In his area of rural Malawi, we were told it might take three to four years for a government procurement process to source hearing aids.

“Now, we have fitted him with two aids for free and he can hear better. Both he and his mother are overjoyed and they have promised he will return to school.”

Among those meeting Zoe at Canford Chase were resident Anne Hammond, Home Manager Charlotte Wilson and our Chief Operating Officer Elaine Farrer.

Anne said: “This is such a worthwhile campaign, helping people in need who would not otherwise have access to hearing aids.”

Charlotte said: “Our residents, families, team members and community friends, here at Canford Chase and at Colten Care homes elsewhere, have really got behind this initiative.

“We encourage anyone with no-longer-needed hearing aids to call in at any of our homes and drop them off at our collection points.”

Elaine said: “We support Hearing Aid Recycling because we know from our own experience in the care sector that many old hearing aids are simply junked which is bad for the environment and a waste of resource.

“We’re thrilled to have collected so many hearing aids already and will continue to offer our help as part of the nationwide network of collection centres Zoe is setting up.”

For more information on Hearing Aid Recycling, visit https://hearingaidrecycling.co.uk/.