This campaign has now closed
This project helps people recently diagnosed with a hearing loss to come to terms with it. Our volunteers make home visits to offer reassurance and advice, and make sure that people are getting the best out of their hearing aid - that it is working properly, how to keep it clean etc.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
Older people find it hard to accept that their hearing is failing. Their response is often to turn the TV up louder and withdraw from places where they can't hear conversations (eg social gatherings) than admit that they need hearing aid. This leads to isolation, loneliness, depression and the feeling that there is no place for them in society any longer. Our catchment is a very rural area where there are limited opportunities for people to access specialist social groups.
Solution
We have a team of hearing impaired volunteers who understand how it feels to lose hearing and have themselves come to terms with having a hearing aid. They visit people at home, check that they know how to use the hearing aid, how to clean it etc. They also offer their personal experience of hearing loss and give advice and reassurance about other services that people can access.