Where To Donate A Back Brace ?

Drawing from personal experience, finding affordable durable medical equipment for my mom’s well-being at home is often challenging. The act of donating your gently used medical equipment can have a significant impact on someone’s life, particularly those unable to afford such items.

So, I hope you explore the options below and that you donate your gently used back brace and contribute to making a positive difference.

This article offers a clear guide to the numerous possibilities for donating used back braces.

Where to donate a back brace ?  A gently used back brace can be donated to –

• State Assistive Technology Projects
• online equipment exchanges
• reuse centers
• community medical equipment loan closets and bikur cholim
• non-profit charities
• thrift stores
• medical equipment refurbishment projects
• faith-based organizations
• local churches
• senior centers
• veterans centers
• private individuals on classified listing websites and social media platforms

Donating a back brace to State Assistive Technology Programs

State Assistive Technology Programs (AT Programs) – For those looking to donate a back brace, state AT programs provide a great opportunity.

These state programs operate statewide systems of distribution and reuse, facilitating increased access to assistive technology devices for residents.

AT Programs have –

• equipment lending libraries
• equipment exchanges
• demonstration centers
• reuse and refurbishing centers

Your back brace donation will make a generous gift to be loaned out, again and again, to those individuals who use the AT Program in your state to get access to the equipment they need, helping many people in its lifetime.

If you wish to learn more about donating your equipment to your State AT Program, click on your state in the list below.

Click on your state to go to your State AT Program website

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

District of Columbia

Donating a back brace to Refurbishment and Reuse Centers

If you have a gently used back brace that you no longer need, consider gifting it to a medical equipment refurbishment center.

They will be more than willing to accept your donation, ensuring the equipment is sanitized, and if necessary, repaired, before passing it on to others.

As non-profit organizations, these centers often provide the redistributed equipment at a very low cost or even free of charge.

At reuse centers, the primary goal is to redistribute equipment, although they might not engage in sanitizing or repairing the items.

Medical equipment refurbishing centers and reuse centers will generally try to redistribute your donation, for as low a price as possible, so that people with a lower income can afford it. And in some cases they may offer the equipment for free.

Donating a back brace to a Center for Independent Living (CIL)

CILs support disabled individuals to lead their lives independently within the community.

Centers for Independent Living 

“provide independent living services for people with disabilities. CILs are at the core of ACL’s independent living programs, which work to support community living and independence for people with disabilities across the nation based on the belief that all people can live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society. These programs provide tools, resources, and supports for integrating people with disabilities fully into their communities to promote equal opportunities, self-determination, and respect.”

Source : https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/centers-independent-living

Typically, they will have medical equipment loan closets stocked with items to assist their disabled members. 

If you’re interested in donating specifically to individuals with disabilities, I suggest contacting your nearest center to check if they have a need for a back brace in their loan closet.

To find and contact the nearest center to you, go to this website.

Donating a back brace to community medical equipment loan closets

Community medical equipment loan closets are an invaluable community resource that enables residents within their service area to borrow durable medical equipment. They are instrumental in making such equipment accessible to low-income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.

Typically, your back brace will be loaned out at no cost. However, for larger and more valuable items like patient lifts, loan closets may require a deposit.

Loan closets can vary in scale, with many being small community-run initiatives driven by passionate volunteers.

Some loan closets may lend to anyone in their community service area, or only if a person qualifies on a “needs basis” – this really depends on the individual loan closets.

How to locate a loan closet near you ? – my research method for finding loan closets for my articles, is the following –

• I do an online search with these four search terms “medical equipment loan closet + your location”, “medical equipment lending closet + your location”, “medical equipment lending bank + your location”, or “medical equipment bank + your location”
• if you’re unable to find any loan closets through an online search, get in touch with your county Area Agency on Aging – it is there to assist the over 60s in accessing the community services available to them, which is going to include loan closets – check for your local county agency here
• should the contact with your Area Agency on Aging not have been fruitful, I would next contact your local human resources or seniors department. They may run, or be aware of, loan closets which might prove helpful to you
• consider checking out your local reuse or medical equipment refurbishing centers, and again, just give them a call and ask if they have a loan closet. An online search will easily find any centers close to you 
  
• Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and American Legion Posts – there are many small community medical equipment loan closets operated by these three organizations. Your next step should be to find the clubs or posts located close to you, and to continue your inquiries 

To find Lions Clubs in your area, take a quick look at my guide here – How To Find A Lions Club Near Me ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide

To find Rotary Clubs in your area, take a quick look at my guide here – How To Find A Rotary Club Near Me ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide

Bikur Cholim or Medical Equipment Gemacht –  (Jewish medical equipment loan closets)

These are run by, and for, the Jewish community, and most will welcome gifts of equipment such as back braces.

To find one close to you, ask at the local Jewish community center, synagogue, or search online at the Chesed Match website.

National and International organizations which accept donations of a back brace

Goodwill

To donate your back brace, locate a store near you and give them a call – https://www.goodwill.org/locator/

Salvation Army

To donate your back brace, click on the following link  – https://satruck.org/

EasterSeals

To locate your local affiliate to make your back brace donation, use this link – https://www.easterseals.com/connect-locally/

The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations

Their website page for donating a back brace is here – http://www.pqmd.org/pillars/donation-guidelines/

Project Cure

Their website page for donating your back brace is here – https://projectcure.org/donate-supplies-equipment

REMEDY – Recovered Medical Equipment for the developing World

To donate your back brace to REMEDY, use this web page here – https://www.med-eq.org/Login/form.aspx?type=donate&quick=1

Advocates for World Health

The page for donating your back brace is here – https://awhealth.org/donate-medical-equipment/

Esperenca

To donate your back brace, go here – https://www.esperanca.org/donate-supplies/

MedShare

Got to the MedShare website to donate your back brace here – https://www.medshare.org/

HERO Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization

You can find about donating your back brace on their website here – https://www.herofargo.org/wp-content/uploads/IndividualSupplies.pdf

MedWish

The page for donations is here on their website – https://www.medwish.org/give

Global Links

To donate your back brace, go to this website page – https://www.globallinks.org/our-work/programs/medical-surplus-recovery-program/individual-and-community-surplus-recovery

Global Mobility USA

You can donate your back brace at this web address – http://www.globalmobilityusa.org/equipment-and-in-kind-donations

Medical Bridges

This is the donation page on their website – http://www.medicalbridges.org/donate/medical-supplies-and-equipment

Online listing sites and other social media platforms where you can donate a back brace near you

This is, in my view, the most practical way of donating an item online as it enables you to donate to recipients as close to home as you wish. You have the freedom to select the specific areas, such as neighborhoods, where your donation advertisement/posting will be seen.

Now, having said that, you will need to be aware of a few points when donating items online –

• in your posting/advertisement, make it clear that your back brace is being donated “as is,”  and specify that you won’t assume any liability for any potential problems once it has been handed over
• it’s important to ensure that the safety, well-being and privacy of any elderly individuals in your home are always paramount, and so it might not be wise to have wandering through your home for the back brace pick-up
• organize the hand-over of your back brace in a public place, and maybe take a friend with you
• for the email address you use on classified listing sites, such as Craigslist, opt for a throwaway email address for your advertisement, as it will get inundated with spam 

Online platforms where you can donate back braces –

• Craigslist.com
• UsedHME.com
• Nextdoor.com
• Facebook.com
• Freecycle.org
• OfferUp.com

If you have not used the sites above to donate an item, you may want to check out my short illustrated guides on how to donate new, or used, devices on each one –

Craigslist.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Craigslist ? An Illustrated Guide”

UsedHME.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On UsedHME ? An illustrated Guide”

Facebook.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Facebook ? An Illustrated Guide”

Freecycle.org – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me on Freecycle.org ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide”

Nextdoor.com – “How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Nextdoor.com ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”

OfferUp.com – No need for an article on this, as there is a very good video showing how to use OfferUp, see below.

Donating a back brace in your neighborhood

If you just want to get out there and start talking to people, you may want to try going here in your neighborhood –

• Local Hospitals
• Emergency rooms
• Thrift stores
• Senior Centers or Elderly Day Care Centers
• Veterans Centers
• Local Retirement Homes
• Churches
• Your local council Seniors’ department

Asking organizations near you where to donate a back brace

If you still haven’t found a home for your back brace, I would get additional advice from these places –

Area Agency On Aging

Your Area Agency on Aging is the go-to place for advice on available services in the community for seniors, and medical equipment loan closets should be on their radar, as they are among the services seniors commonly depend on.

Use the Area Agency on Aging locator tool to find your agency – click here.

Social Services

To learn about programs provided by charitable organizations in your area that aid those in need, get in contact with your Social Services department, and see what they can come up with.

Faith-based Charities

Actively operating throughout the US, the Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are deeply involved in programs that aid low-income families, the homeless, refugees, and victims of abuse.

Both organizations will possess in-depth knowledge of your area, and the individuals who would value your donation of a back brace the most.

To find the chapters in your area, search “name of the charity + where you live”, on the internet.

Local Town Hall or Chamber of Commerce

Make a stop at your town hall and chamber of commerce to inquire about nonprofit organizations and charities in your area that are involved in refurbishing and redistributing durable medical equipment.

Why isn’t your back brace being accepted ?

Be prepared for the possibility of your back brace being declined, as it could happen due to any number of reasons –

• the back brace might be damaged, or too old to be accepted
• some organizations may not have the capacity for proper sanitization if it’s required
• used back braces will no longer have warranties
• state laws may impose certain restrictions on accepting such donations

Tax deductions on donations

Keep your receipt for any donations that you make to any charities, if you are hoping to get a tax deduction – the IRS will require the receipt for the item.