For those of you with “gently used” seat lift which you are no longer using, it’s a wonderful act to gift it to someone who really does need it. It is hard to understand the impact that your donation can have on someone else’s life, but for those without means, your generosity really can make a difference.
Where to donate a seat lift ? State Assistive Technology Projects, online equipment exchanges, reuse centers, community loan closets, bikur cholim, non-profit charities, thrift stores, DME refurbishment projects, faith-based organizations, local churches, senior centers, veterans centers, person to person on classified websites and social media platforms, these are all great ways to donate your seat lift.
Contents Overview & Quicklinks
Donating seat lifts to State Assistive Technology Programs
Donating a seat lift to refurbishing and reuse Centers
Donating a seat lift to Centers for Independent Living
Donating a seat lift to Loan Closets
National and international organizations which accept medical equipment donations
Online listing sites where you can donate a seat lift near you
Donating a seat lift in your neighborhood
Organizations near you which may know where to donate a seat lift
Donating a seat lift to State Assistive Technology Programs
State Assistive Technology Programs (AT Programs) – in each state in the US, plus four territories and Puerto Rico, there is an AT program promoting access, for members of the community within that state, to assistive technology devices.
Assistive Technology devices which enable you to achieve a task which you could not otherwise complete. Most durable medical equipment and living aids are considered assistive technology devices.
AT Programs have –
- equipment lending libraries
- equipment exchanges
- demonstration centers
- reuse and refurbishing centers
Your seat lift would make a fabulous gift to those who use the AT Program in your state to get access to the equipment they need.
If you wish to donate your seat lift 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
Donating a seat lift to Refurbishment and Reuse Centers
These are both very good places to donate your seat lift.
Refurbishment centers welcome equipment donations, which they will repair or do any maintenance if required, sanitize, and then find a new home.
A reuse center will takes equipment if it is in good enough condition, and offers it to someone else.
Both refurbishing and reuse centers will typically try to redistribute your donation, to individuals without insurance, with a low income, or who are disabled.
Donating a seat lift to a Center for Independent Living
Here is another very deserving option for your seat lift donation, and somewhere you know that it will have a great impact on the new users’ lives.
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
Centers will be very grateful for any donations of any durable medical equipment if they run an equipment loan closet to support their disabled members.
To find and contact the nearest center to you, go to this website.
Donating a seat lift to community medical equipment loan closets
Medical equipment loan closets play a key role in providing durable medical equipment to community members in need, in particular seniors and individuals with disabilities, in the form of loans, so you can make a valuable impact with your donation here as well.
Your seat lift, once it has been donated, is then offered to the community for borrowing, and typically at no cost. Your equipment will pass through many pairs of hands over its lifetime, helping many people.
A loan closet may lend to anyone in their community, or only to those who qualify on a needs basis – those with the greatest need come first – it depends on the individual loan closets.
To locate a loan closet near you and make a donation, start searching online, and contacting the following places –
- I search for loan closets online using the following 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 that came up blank, contact your county Area Agency on Aging – your agency has one purpose, which is to aid the over 60s in gaining access to the community services available to them – check for your local county agency here
- contact your local human resources or seniors department, and find out if they manage any medical loan closet for seniors
- search online for local reuse or medical equipment refurbishing centers, and make inquiries there
- Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and American Legion Posts – I have found so many of these clubs and posts which run community medical equipment loan closets, that I would suggest contacting any near you
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, which are run by, and for, the Jewish community. These loan closets, like all others, will always be grateful for the gift of a seat lift or any other DME.
You can ask at the local synagogue, or search online at the Chesed Match website.
National and International organizations which accept donations of a seat lift
Goodwill
To donate your seat lift, locate a store near you and give them a call – https://www.goodwill.org/locator/
Salvation Army
To donate your seat lift, click on the following link – https://satruck.org/
EasterSeals
To locate your local affiliate to make your seat lift donation, use this link – https://www.easterseals.com/connect-locally/
The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
Their website page for donating a seat lift is here – http://www.pqmd.org/pillars/donation-guidelines/
Project Cure
Their website page for donating your seat lift is here – https://projectcure.org/donate-supplies-equipment
REMEDY – Recovered Medical Equipment for the developing World
To donate your seat lift 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 seat lift is here – https://awhealth.org/donate-medical-equipment/
Esperenca
To donate your seat lift, go here – https://www.esperanca.org/donate-supplies/
MedShare
Got to the MedShare website to donate your seat lift here – https://www.medshare.org/
HERO Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization
You can find about donating your seat lift 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 seat lift, 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 seat lift 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 seat lift near you
I see that the greatest advantage with donating equipment on online listings, and social media platforms, is that you can donate to people as near to you as you wish. You choose the size of the area within which your advertisement/posting is seen.
Having said that, there are a few things to be aware of with donating items online –
- in the item description in your ad, you must state that you are donating it “as is”, and that you accept no liability if the future user has any problems with your seat lift
- for those people caring for an elderly person at home, to keep them safe and to respect their privacy, you don’t want strangers coming into your home for the seat lift
- organize a meeting to hand over your seat lift in a public place – a mall or a car park
- for larger and more valuable equipment, you can have the equipment delivered to the recipient’s home, on their dime – they will still be making a huge saving
- for your email address on classified listings, such as Craigslist, it is best to make a throwaway email address for your advertisement, as it will get inundated with spam – don’t use your regular personal email
Online platforms where you can donate seat lifts –
- Craigslist.com
- UsedHME.com
- Nextdoor.com
- Facebook.com
- Freecycle.org
- OfferUp.com
For those of you who have not used the sites above to donate an item, I have 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 seat lift in your neighborhood
For those of you who like doing things in person, you may want to try asking at some of the following places 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
Organizations near you who may know where to donate a seat lift
If you have had no joy in finding a home for your seat lift, try talking to some organizations where you may be able to get some advice –
Area Agency On Aging
I have already listed them, but your Area Agency on Aging is going to be a gold mine of information, and I would always check with them first, and ask them for any advice they can give you.
Use the Area Agency on Aging locator tool to find your agency – click here.
Social Services
Social Services departments should be aware of programs being run by charitable organizations for all sorts of different people in need, and may be able to put you in touch with the right person.
Faith-based Charities
The Catholic Charities and Society of St Vincent de Paul
Both charities have chapters throughout large parts of the US, offering multiple services/programs to low income families, the homeless, refugees, and victims of abuse.
Either may know of any loan closets, organizations or individuals who would greatly appreciate your seat lift.
To find a chapter of either charity in your area, search “name of the charity + where you live”, on the internet.
Local Town Hall or Chamber of Commerce
Go to your Town Hall or Chamber of Commerce and ask about the records they have of nonprofit organizations, charities refurbishing and redistributing durable medical equipment in your area, and see which ones you can contact.
Why isn’t your seat lift being accepted ?
Possible reasons why your seat lift keeps being rejected –
- it may not be in good enough condition
- a used seat lift will have to be sanitized, especially if it was used for bathing, and a lot of organizations are ill-equipped to carry this out
- used seat lifts no longer carry a valid warranty
- state laws governing the reuse of bathroom equipment and devices
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.
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.
