LEND AN EAR OUTREACH®

Giving the gift of hearing, one person at a time.

Due solely to lack of funds some people are living in a world of silence with no hope. Lend An Ear wants to change that.

Our history.

Lend An Ear Outreach was created in March 2012 by a group of four women who saw the impact of hearing loss on the elderly. Lend An Ear’s mission is to make the gift of hearing available to all low-income people, beginning with seniors over the age of sixty in our Northeast Florida community. We have seen first-hand how the gift of hearing has restored people back to a world of promise and the enormous difference it has made in the lives of seniors. Read more

Getting involved.

Volunteer with us

We need YOU! Our volunteers, who we call Amplifiers, are truly at the heart of “Lend An Ear” and help us touch more lives every day. You can volunteer from anywhere, even online. Contact us

Attend events

Come join us at any of our monthly meetings and learn valuable insight on hearing loss. From what hearing loss is to how hearing loss can be preventable. Join us

Donate

In partnership with doctors of audiology, and through donations from individuals and corporations, your donation will help provide free hearing examinations; and upon diagnosis, providing hearing aids at little or no cost to those in need. Donate now

We refurbish used hearing aids to fit another person.

Mail us your hearing aid in 4 easy steps:

Step 1

When sending in your hearing aid please include:
A) Body Aid type — aid, cord, and receiver or
B) Cros or Bi-cros type — both receiver and transmitter

Step 2

Also, include any cables, manuals, and accessories. Please do not send presentation cases with your hearing aid.

Step 3

Do not send hearing aid(s) in an envelope. In most cases, shipping in an envelope will crush the hearing aid. Please send your hearing aid(s) in a sturdy shipping box with appropriate wrapping material. If you do not have a shipping box, a clean medicine bottle works well.

Step 4

Send the hearing aid and printed forms to the address below.

Lend An Ear
1000 Vicars Landing Way
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082

“At this time the organization has no paid staff and the Board and volunteers are responsible for all operational activities and are providing the gift of hearing to many seniors.”

-Scott Hetzinger

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

What is hearing loss?

Hearing loss, also known as hearing impairment, which can be temporary or permanent. In children hearing problems can affect the ability to learn language and in adults it can cause work related difficulties. Hearing loss may be caused by a number of factors, including: genetics, aging, exposure to noise, some infections, birth complications, trauma to the ear, and certain medications or toxins.

A common condition that results in hearing loss is chronic ear infections. Certain infections during pregnancy may also cause problems. Hearing loss is diagnosed when hearing testing finds that a person is unable to hear 25 decibels in at least one ear. Testing for poor hearing is recommended for all newborns. Hearing loss can be categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound.

What are the treatments?

Half of hearing loss is preventable. This includes by immunization, proper care around pregnancy, avoiding loud noise, and avoiding certain medications. For many hearing aids, sign language, cochlear implants and subtitles are useful. Lip reading is another useful skill some develop. Access to hearing aids, however, is limited due to cost.

Hearing Loss affects about 1.1 billion people to some degree. It causes disability in 5% (360 to 538 million) and moderate to severe disability in 124 million people. Of those with moderate to severe disability 108 million live in low and middle income. Of those with hearing loss it began in 65 million during childhood.

Hearing statistics

Hearing loss can’t be seen, so you might think your older adult’s odd behavior is caused by disinterest, confusion, or personality changes. And sometimes, hearing loss can even be confused with signs of dementia.
.Statistics Sources

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.

More than 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents.

Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing.

Men are more likely than women to report having hearing loss.

One in eight people in the United States (13 percent, or 30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations.

Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. adult population, or about 25 million Americans, has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year.

28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids.

As of December 2012, approximately 324,200 cochlear implants have been implanted worldwide. In the United States, roughly 58,000 devices have been implanted in adults and 38,000 in children.

Five out of 6 children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they are 3 years old.

Among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30 percent) has ever used them. Even fewer adults aged 20 to 69 (approximately 16 percent) who could benefit from wearing hearing aids have ever used them.

The NIDCD estimates that approximately 15 percent of Americans (26 million people) between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to noise at work or during leisure activities.

About 2 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55 to 64. Nearly 25 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 50 percent of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss.

We’d love to hear from you.

If you have a question about getting involved as a volunteer, or you’re wondering whether you qualify for a hearing aid, or you would like to know more about Lend An Ear, contact Scott Hetzinger at: [email protected] or call 904.285.1384.

Lend An Ear
[email protected]
904.241.HEAR or 904.285.1384
1000 Vicars Landing Way, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082