A&E Hearing Connection: A Hand Up

We know that there are 360 million people worldwide who experience disabling hearing loss. We know that the annual global cost of unaddressed hearing loss is estimated at $750 billion. We know that people who go untreated experience feelings of isolation, helplessness, loss of communication with loved ones, and even cognitive decline. We know that hearing loss, an invisible condition, has detrimental effects on individuals, families, and society as a whole.

However, the reality is that, in the current healthcare system, hearing healthcare and hearing aids are beyond reach for some who need them most.

“I’ve come across this many times over the past 20+ years: someone needs help, but they don’t have the means to get it,” Dr Kamal Elliot explains.

​For almost 17 years, Dr. Elliot has been in practice at A&E Audiology & Hearing Aid Center in Lancaster, PA, and she’s been an audiologist for nearly 23 years.

“No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and getting help for the their hearing.” Tweet This

At A&E Audiology, we don’t think it’s okay that many people don’t have access to excellent hearing healthcare and hearing aids.

“We stand on the side that everyone should have access to hearing healthcare,” Eric Elliot states, the Managing Director at A&E Audiology and Dr. Elliot’s son.

We want to have eyes for the people who are affected by hearing loss who are also in poverty or part of the working-poor, people often overlooked by social services because they are just above the poverty line. Because hearing loss is an invisible condition, it is often overlooked. We want to shed light on the people who are in need of assistance.

For this reason, we’ve created the nonprofit A&E Hearing Connection.

“Our program goes up to two and half times the poverty limit so we can capture the working poor,” Eric says.

Patients who qualify for A&E Hearing Connection pay based upon a sliding scale fee structure, depending on how much they can afford. In return, we ask these patients to give back by serving in a community organization they are passionate about.

“The less they pay, the more we ask them to give back,” Eric explains. “It’s the circle of giving model.”

We still provide excellent service. It isn’t a handout; it’s a hand up. We want to reconnect our patients with what may have been lost because they have been disengaged from the community, their family, or even themselves.

This is about getting our patients back into the community and proving to themselves they have something to give back. Your hearing disability shouldn’t keep you from your passions, your loved ones, or the community around you.

“When a patient goes through A&E Hearing Connection, they are taking the first step in reaching their potential,” Dr. Elliot tells us. “We’re not pushing them. We’re giving them the opportunity.”

A&E Hearing Connection is for the community, of the community, by the community. Tweet This

We love Lancaster. We are so grateful for what our community has done for us. We’re inviting you, the community, to come alongside us.

There are ways you can get involved. This is a community effort! If you’re a patient at A&E Audiology and don’t do anything differently, you’re still contributing to our cause. If you want to come alongside us, you can:

• Refer friends and family to A&E.
• Make a donation.
• Volunteer to work at the clinic.
• Spread the word by telling others about A&E Hearing Connection.
• Help us raise money.

To learn more and get involved, visit www.aehearing.org!

A&E Hearing Connection is possible because of the great community we are part of. Success for us here is removing the wall of hearing loss that stands between patients and the world. This is our hand up, an opportunity to move forward in life for those who might not be able to help themselves.