If you can’t afford brand-new home medical equipment, gently used durable medical equipment can be a good alternative, if it has been properly checked for safety, and has been sanitized.
To gain access to used medical equipment, you don’t necessarily have to buy it, as there are lots of organizations which will gift, or lend, used medical equipment to those who cannot afford it.
In addition to the non-profit organizations which will loan used medical equipment, there are also plenty of opportunities to find used medical equipment which is being given away for free in San Jose.
This article contains both suggestions on places you can go to make inquiries about more resources for finding used medical equipment for sale, for free, and on loan, as well as actual places which offer used medical equipment in San Jose.
In San Jose, you can buy, borrow, or loan, used medical equipment from –
- the California State Assistive Technology Program “Ability Tools”
- reuse, recycling and refurbishing centers, such as “Able People Foundation” or “Recycling Stuff”
- loan or lending closets, such as “Avenidas Medical Equipment Loan Closet” or “Bridge of Hope Foundation”
- centers for independent living in San Jose – “Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC)”
- medical equipment suppliers
- thrift stores, such as “Savers Thrift Store”, or “Unicorn Thrift Store”
- Goodwill stores
- Salvation Army stores
You can also find used medical equipment, in San Jose, with the help of online platforms and social media sites such as –
- Craigslist.com
- usedHME.com
- Freecycle.org
- Facebook.com
- Nextdoor.com
- OfferUp.com
In the section on online platforms, you will find links to my guides on how to use each of these to find used medical equipment.
CONTENTS - Overview & Quick Links
California State Assistive Technology Program and refurbishing programs (mostly free)
Used medical equipment from Ability Tools – the California State Assistive Technology Program
CATRC Medical Equipment Reuse Programs in San Jose
Ability Tools Device Lending and Demo Centers
Independent Reuse programs and loan closets (most loan closets are free)
Centers for Independent Living
Used medical equipment loan closets in San Jose
How to find free used medical equipment near me in San Jose ?
- Area Agency on Aging
- Social Services
- Lions Clubs
- Rotary clubs
- Catholic Charities
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- The Jewish Family Service
- Local Churches and faith groups
Buying used medical equipment from medical supply stores and thrift stores
Buying used medical equipment in San Jose
Stores selling used medical equipment in the San Jose area
Goodwill stores selling used medical equipment in San Jose
Salvation Army stores selling used medical equipment in San Jose
Online listings and social media sites
How to find used medical equipment online for sale, or free, near me in San Jose
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose on Craigslist
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose on freecycle.org
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose on UsedHME.com
How to find used medical equipment for sale or free, near me in San Jose on Facebook
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose on Nextdoor.com
How to find used medical equipment for sale near me in San Jose, on OfferUp.com
How to find used medical equipment near me in San Jose, on eBay
In this post, you will be seeing the term “assistive technology devices” used regularly.
These are devices, without which, an individual with a certain handicap, medical condition, or injury, is unable to accomplish a daily living task.
Assistive technology devices can be as high-tech as a voice device for speech assistance, or low-tech as a jar opener, or a walker.
For organizations who deal with providing “assistive technology devices”, durable medical equipment as it assists a person to complete an action, or task, is typically considered to be a form of assistive technology device.
Used medical equipment from “Ability Tools”, the California State Assistive Technology Program
Ability Tools is the name of the California State Assistive Technology Program, and it is responsible for providing the public with access to “assistive technology devices”.
To be able to carry out its commission, Ability Tools contracts with a coalition of “Reuse Programs” called the CATRC – The California Assistive Technology Reuse Coalition.
The coalition members across California collect and refurbish used medical equipment, and participate in its re-allocation.
ABILITY TOOLS and the CATRC offer to those in need –
- free long short term loans of new and used durable medical equipment and AT devices
- lend new or used durable medical equipment and AT devices indefinitely for free
- the opportunity to those who don’t qualify for free durable equipment, to purchase refurbished it at a very low cost
The Ability Tools AT Exchange
Ability Tools has created an online AT Exchange where all the participating CATRC organizations post their inventories of refurbished and sanitized used medical equipment and AT devices. Anyone can visit the site to what is available, and also at which centers the items are currently located, including the centers serving San Jose.
You can visit the Assistive Technology Exchange website here – http://abilitytools.org/services/at-exchange-transition.php
To find out how to use the AT Exchange, take a look at my article “Free Medical Equipment In California: How And Where To Get It”, where you will see an illustrated section on how to use the Ability Tools AT Exchange to see what equipment is available.
CATRC medical equipment reuse programs in San Jose
You may qualify for free durable medical equipment on a loan, or a permanent basis, or low cost durable medical equipment.
Contact the CATRC center in your area – San Jose – to find out if you qualify.
Below, are the CATRC Reuse Centers in San Jose.
Able People Foundation
The foundation has a program which searches out individuals, with physical issues which limit their lifestyle, without insurance, or funding, in need of home medical equipment, and gives them the items they need.
The foundations gives the following types of equipment –
- ambulatory devices: walkers
- manual wheelchairs in good condition
- rehab wheelchairs in good condition
- power wheelchairs with battery charger in working condition
- electric mobility scooters in good condition with battery charger
- transfer benches
Address:
552A Valley Way
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: 408 263 8000
Website: https://ablepeoplefoundation.org
There is also a Facebook page which you can find here – https://www.facebook.com/theablepeoplefoundatiom/
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC)
The SVILC loans equipment to individuals with disabilities to test it before buying a similar item.
Address:
25 N. 14th St. Suite 1000 (10th Floor)
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408 894 9041 ext.204
Website: https://svilc.org
Ability Tools Device Lending and Demo Center for San Jose
Ability Tools also contracts with a number of agencies to provide “short term loans” of assistive technology devices (up to 30 days).
The Device Lending and Demonstration Center in San Jose is –
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC)
25 N. 14th St. Suite 1000 (10th Floor)
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408 894 9041 ext.204
Website: https://svilc.org
Centers for Independent Living (CILS) In San Jose
There is one Center for Independent Living in San Jose, which is mandated to support people with disabilities so they may live independently in the community.
CIL’s have medical equipment loan closets to supply equipment to their members who require it, but you have to be a disabled person, and to become a member of the CIL.
The CIL’s in San Jose –
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC)
25 N. 14th St. Suite 1000 (10th Floor)
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408 894 9041 ext.204
Website: https://svilc.org
Used medical equipment loan closets, in San Jose
Community loan closets are a great place to borrow durable medical equipment, and typically the equipment loans are free.
In the San Jose area you have –
Avenidas Medical Equipment Loan Closet
The Avenidas medical equipment loan closet has items such as –
- walkers
- shower chairs
- canes
- other equipment
The website for the loan closet is here – https://www.avenidas.org/medical-equipment-loan-closet-now-open/
The loan closet program is part of the Health and Wellness Program.
You can give them a call.
Address:
450 Bryant St,
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Website: https://www.avenidas.org/
Phone: 650 289 5400
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Senior centers in the San Jose area
Senior centers, as well as often having their own medical equipment loan closets for seniors who use the centers, sometimes have loans closets for any seniors in the local community.
Given that these are day centers for senior citizens, even if your nearest center doesn’t have a loan closet, the staff should know about what is available in your area, as well as the seniors themselves, who are going to be a mine of information.
I would definitely make contact and see if you can’t find loan closets, or any other resources, that way.
Below is a list of the seniro centers in San Jose.
Veteran Centers in San Jose
You can get assistance with finding out about what you are entitled to as a veteran, from the Veteran Centers in San Jose.
County of Santa Clara: Veterans Services Office
68 N Winchester Blvd,
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Phone: 408 918 4980
You may want ask at VA Clinics in San Jose as well, as they are treating veterans who may need equipment –
San Jose Veterans Affairs Clinic
5855 Silver Creek Vally Pl,
San Jose, CA 95138
Phone: 4o8 574 9100
San Jose Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic –
5855 Silver Creek Vally Pl,
San Jose, CA 95138
Phone: 408 363 3000
VA Outpatient Clinic
80 Great Oaks Blvd,
San Jose, CA 95119
Phone: 408 363 3000
How to find used medical equipment near me in San Jose ?
The organizations and administrations below all work with seniors, individuals and families in need, and are great places to make inquiries about resources for used medical equipment.
In providing and running all the different programs and services, a wealth of information has been gathered, so I would contact any of the organizations and administrations, and ask them about the resources that they are aware of for used medical equipment in San Jose –
- Area Agency on Aging in San Jose
- Social services in San Jose
- Lions Clubs
- Rotary Clubs
- Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Santa Clara Count
- The Jewish Family Service of Silicon Valley
- Local church communities
San Jose Area Agency on Aging
The Area Agency on Aging in San Jose and Santa Clara County is called Sourcewise.
Addresses:
Main Office
3100 De La Cruz Blvd, Suite 310
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Phone: 408 350 3200
South County Office
16340 Monterey Rd,
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Phone: 408 762 7362
Website: https://www.mysourcewise.com/
Lions Clubs
If you can find a Lions club near you in San Jose, give them a call to see if they know of any free, or cheap, resources for used medical equipment in the area.
To find clubs use their locator tool.
I have a short illustrated guide outlining how to find a Lions Club, which you can read here.
Rotary Clubs
The same goes for Rotary Club’s in your area in San Jose.
Find a Rotary club with their locator tool and ask if they know of any community medical equipment loan closets near you.
Find out how to locate a Rotary Club near you using their locator tool, in my article, here.
The Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
The Catholic Charities run many programs and services all over California, and are in San Jose – The Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County – you can contact them at the
Address:
2625 Zanker Rd, Ste 201
San Jose, CA 95134
Phone: 408 468 0100
Their website is here –
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Santa Clara County
In Santa Clara County, the Society of St Vincent de Paul is now located in San Jose, and has more than 750 volunteers.
You can contact them to get more ideas of where to look for used medical equipment.
Website: https://www.svdp.org/
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Santa Clara County
P.O. Box 5579
San Jose, CA 95150
Phone: 408 249 2853
The Jewish Family Service of Silicon Valley
Website – https://www.jfssv.org/aging-with-dignity-services.html
Address:
Jewish Family Service of Silicon Valley
14855 Oka Rd, Suite 202,
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Phone: 408 556 0600
Your local church or faith groups
Neighborhood churches and the communities which build up around the congregation are another great source of information about charitable programs in the area.
In addition churches sometimes run –
- food banks
- clothes loan closets
- medical equipment loan closets
I would contact your local churches, to see if any have a loan closet serving the local community, and if not find out what they know about any resources for used medical equipment.
Buying used medical equipment in San Jose
Stores in which you will find used medical equipemnt in San Jose are going to be –
- medical supply stores
- thrift stores
- Goodwill stores
- Salvation Army stores
Stores selling used medical equipment in the San Jose area
If you are happy to buy used medical equipment in a thrift store, do take a really good look at any equipment before you buy it.
Thrift stores do not typically refurbish, or sanitize, the equipment they are selling.
Check it for any cracks, faulty joints, rust and missing parts, as you will be buying the item “as is”, and will not have any type of guarantee, or recourse at all.
The three thrift stores below are in the San Jose area, and sell used medical equipment –
Charity Cars for Kids Thrift Store
2725 Lafayette Street,
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Phone: 408 748 0081
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Savers Thrift Store
4950 Almaden Expy #20,
San Jose, CA 95118
Website: https://www.savers.com/
____________
Unicorn Thrift Shop
1181 Redmond Ave,
San Jose, CA 95120
Phone: 408 997 9188
Website: https://unicornthriftshop.com/
Goodwill stores selling used medical equipment in San Jose
All the used medical equipment that is sold in Goodwill stores is sold “as is”, and no guarantees are given and no liability is accepted.
This is because Goodwill stores only accept items gently used and clean, as they do nothing to them – no refurbishing, no sanitization.
Not every Goodwill store sells home medical equipment, some do not accept donations of any medical items, so you are probably going to want to check with the store before you go.
To do this you will want to locate stores near you, and give them a call.
Goodwill donation store locations in Silicon Valley
In Santa Clara County there are 18 Goodwill stores.
To find out which ones are near to you in San Jose, you can use their locator tool here.
Salvation Army stores also sell used medical equipment in San Jose
You can also buy used medical equipment at a lot of Salvation Army stores, but just as with Goodwill, none of the equipment has been refurbished or sanitized, and is sold “as is”. So check it properly for to make sure it is safe.
Just like Goodwill, the Salvation Army has a thrift store locator tool on their website, which you can find here –
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, online near me in San Jose
Used medical equipment for sale, or for free, is easy enough to find online near to you, if you know where to look.
You can find lots of wheelchairs, bedside commodes and even hospital beds in working condition.
You do of course want to be aware of a few points, and to be a little cautious –
- if you think yourself to be a little vulnerable, you shouldn’t give out your personal information
- don’t have strangers bring equipment to your home, especially if you care for a vulnerable person
- arrange to meet the people offering items in public places
- always check the equipment is in good condition before you buy it, as you will have no comeback if it breaks etc.
- be aware that there are scammers, and particularly with offers of free items – if they start to ask for shipping money etc. just move on to another item
These sites are a mine of used medical equipment both for sale, and for free –
- Craigslist.com
- Freecycle.org
- UsedHME.com
- Facebook Marketplace
- Nextdoor.com
- OfferUp
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free near me in San Jose, on Craigslist
Craigslist.com is a site people post advertisements of all kinds locally.
You will find lots of people selling and gifting used medical equipment in your neighborhood of San Jose.
Craigslist is free to use, and there is no membership required.
If you haven’t used Craigslist, and you would like to see how to search for used medical equipment for sale or for free, you can have a look at my articles –
“How To Find And Buy Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Craigslist ?”
“How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Craigslist ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
Screenshot of Craigslist listings page
Screenshot example of a Craigslist garage sale page
How to find used Medical Equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose, on FreeCycle.org
On Freecycle.org, you will find items which are being given away for free in San Jose – there is no buying or selling.
The platform is free, but you have to join – you just need an email address.
Freecycle.org is a system of groups.
You join groups in your area, and gain access to the items which are being gifted in that group, can offer items yourself, and post requests for items you need.
So, even if you don’t see what you are looking for at first, you can post a request in case anyone in the group has one to give away.
I have an illustrated article on how to find free used medical equipment near you on Freecycle.org. If you want to know more, you can read – “How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Freecycle.org ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
Screenshot of Freecyle.org page
How to find used medical equipment for sale or free, near me in San Jose, on usedHME.com
UsedHME.com is a website of advertisements exclusively listing sales and donations of used home medical equipment.
It is free to search for items, and there is nothing to join.
Your searches can be as local as you wish to make them in San Jose, it is done by inputting zip codes.
If you want to know how to use the site, you can refer to my illustrated articles –
“How To Find And Buy Used Medical Equipment near me on UsedHME.com ?”
“How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On UsedHME.com ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
Screenshot of the UsedHME.com equipment category page
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose, on Facebook
With Facebook, you need an account to use the platform, but it is free and simple.
Once you have an account you can buy, sell, donate and accept free items near you in San Jose using –
- buying and selling groups
- the Facebook Marketplace
If you want to find out how all of this is done, you can read my illustrated guides –
“How To Find And Buy Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Facebook ? An Illustrated Guide”
“How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Facebook ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
Screenshot of Facebook Marketplace page
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose, on Nextdoor.com
Nextdoor.com is a social media platform, where you can buy, sell, and find free used medical equipment near you, in San Jose.
Once you have become a member, which is free, you will be placed along with other members who live in your neighborhood, with whom you will buy, sell and gift items.
If you want to see how this is done, you can read my quick illustrated guides showing how to use it –
“How To Find And Buy Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Nextdoor.com ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
“How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Nextdoor.com ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
Screenshot of Nextdoor.com “All Listings” page
How to find used medical equipment for sale, or free, near me in San Jose, on OfferUp
OfferUp, the app and website, were created to make it simpler to sell, or to giveaway items you no longer need, and to find stuff you want, and you can use it to do just that in San Jose.
It’s “mobile first”, meaning it was designed with cell phones users in mind, but is also available on desktop as well.
The platform is free to use.
If you want to see how to use OfferUp, watch the video below – this YouTube video gives a very complete guide.
How to find used medical equipment near me in San Jose, on eBay
On eBay you can do local searches for used medical equipment near where you live in San Jose.
To do this, you set the search results so that only show items in your area.
If you want to see how to do local searches on eBay, look at my illustrated guide on how to find used home medical equipment on eBay near you – “How To Find And Buy Used Medical Equipment Near Me On eBay ?”
Things to remember when buying used medical equipment
Remember to thoroughly check any used medical equipment from thrift stores, or online listings, as there is no guarantee that it is safe, it is probably not sanitized, so you are buying the equipment entirely at your own risk.
Specialist reuse centers and medical equipment suppliers, typically, by comparison, sanitize and refurbish the used medical equipment so that it is hygienic and safe, before it is sold.
If you are buying used medical equipment from a reuse center, you should ask them if they have carried out any checks, refurbished or sanitized the equipment, and if it comes with any guarantee.
I’m Gareth, the author and owner of Looking After Mom and Dad.com
I have been a caregiver for over 10 yrs and share all my tips here.
