HELENA — According to the National Council on Aging, a pair of hearing aids can cost anywhere from $99 to $7,000, and that does not count annual maintenance fees.
Due to the costs, many people in need can not afford to take care of their hearing.
However, an act of kindness will hopefully be heard across the area, as Hearing Solutions of Montana aims to donate ten pairs of hearing aids to those in need.
“It’s all about helping people hear. So, I wanted to give them the opportunity because we get these donated, and they just sit there,” said Sue Sherman, the owner of Hearing Solutions of Montana.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, “about 28.8 million United States adults could benefit from wearing hearing aids.”
However, Sherman says many people cannot afford the device.
“Some of the people on Social Security only get six to seven hundred dollars a month. They’re never going to be able to afford hearing aids,” she said.
That is why Sherman is stepping in. She has about ten pairs of hearing aids that are used or refurbished.
They all work, and she wants to give them away to those in need at no charge.
Sherman said, “If you can’t communicate with people and your family...what quality of life do you have? So, it’s not a luxury. I mean, price-wise, it can seem like one.”
The only money people would have to spend is a $125 annual maintenance fee.
Hearing Solutions of Montana accepts hearing aid donations, which will also be given to those in need.
Those donated must be newer than five years old and be behind-the-ear hearing aids.
To find out how to get a pair of free hearing aids or to donate, call (406) 438-7173 or visit their website here.
