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Information and service guide for people who have a hearing loss Customer Services Adult Social Care Tel: 01708 432000 Fax 01708 433334 Email: [email protected] This information has been prepared for people who have a hearing impairment and their carers. It is also available in other languages and formats such as Audio, Email or Braille, on request. Please contact Customer Services, Adult Social Care on the contact details provided on the front cover. Contents Introduction Page 3 Medical Help Page 4 Social Services Page 5 Registration Page 6 Useful contacts Page 7 Page 2 Introduction It is estimated that one in six of the total UK population have some form of hearing loss. That is more than 10 million people in the UK. There are many different causes of hearing loss. Hereditary Maybe a family member (parent, grand parent, great grand parent) has had a hearing loss and it may be that you are more likely to have a hearing impairment yourself, depending on the cause or condition. Exposure to loud noise This can be loud machinery at work, or those who served in the forces many years ago were deafened by explosions etc. Illness – sometimes hearing loss can be caused by an illness such as Measles, Meningitis, virus etc. For many people however, it is part of the aging process. Hearing loss can occur through a variety of ear conditions or by accident / trauma, and is described as mild, moderate, severe or profound. Hearing loss can affect everyday life and communication. Some people will benefit from a hearing aid, but these are not suitable for everyone. Some people will use lip reading / facial expressions to support communication whereas others, usually people with a profound hearing loss, will use sign language as their first choice of communication. Page 3 Getting Help If you, or someone you know, feel that you have a problem with your hearing you should first talk to your doctor. They can check your ears and clear any infection or build up of wax. Sometimes this is the cause of the hearing loss and once the infection / wax has been cleared, “normal” hearing will return. However, if this is not the case, your doctor can then refer you to the hospital audiology department or an ear specialist. It is here where they may decide to carry out hearing tests and audiograms or provide support, advice, information and hearing aids. An audiogram is a graph that shows the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies. This will measure your hearing loss and, depending on the severity of your hearing loss, will show if you are eligible to be registered with your local authority with a hearing impairment. Not everyone will benefit from hearing aids. You can be assessed for these as explained above. If you do have hearing aids, either NHS or privately purchased, you will need to take good care of them. The audiologist will advise you on this and train you to fit it to your ear correctly. Your hearing aid should not whistle. If it does, first check that you have fitted it in your ear properly. Check that the ear mould is clean. Check that there is no condensation in the tube and that it is still flexible and properly fitted. If the aid still whistles, return to the audiology department – usually you will need to book an appointment. Page 4 Social Services The Sensory Impairment Team has a range of specialist information and undertakes assessments for people who have a significant sensory loss. Following assessment, it may be that a service is provided, subject to the Fair Access to Care Criteria and financial criteria. Some of the areas that may be assessed for are alerting equipment – can you hear the doorbell, telephone ring, smoke alarms, baby crying? Support with communication needs – are you able to hear a telephone conversation? Each assessment is carried out on an individual basis and some information / services that are suitable for one person may not be suitable for someone else. Any equipment issued is done so on a loan basis, meaning that the equipment is yours until you no longer require it. Your audiology department can refer you to the Sensory Team for a hearing assessment or you (or someone on your behalf) can contact Adult Customer Services and request a hearing assessment. They will need your details – name, address, date of birth, etc and will ask for information on what difficulties you are experiencing, why are you requesting a hearing assessment? You will then be placed on a waiting list and a member of staff will contact you to arrange an appointment to carry out a hearing assessment. This will be done at your home. If you have already had an assessment and require a Page 5 review due to a change in circumstances (i.e. hearing has deteriorated since last assessment), you have equipment that is faulty etc, then you will need to contact Adult Customer Services. They are the first point of contact for all queries if you are not currently involved with the team. The Sensory Team also support people who have a sight loss or a dual sensory loss – visual and hearing impairment. The Sensory Team has resource rooms of equipment for demonstration purposes. It may be that you would like to try equipment that is available for people with a sensory impairment. Again, please contact Adult Customer Services who will take your information and refer you to the team. A team member will then contact you to arrange for you to visit the resource area as this is by appointment only. You may be eligible for VAT exemption if you are purchasing equipment because of a disability. Before you purchase equipment, ask the retailer about VAT exemption. Registration Some people may be eligible to be registered with a hearing loss. Registration category is decided based on the results of your audiogram. The London Borough of Havering uses the following categories: Hard of Hearing Profoundly Deaf with speech Profoundly Deaf without speech If you have moved into Havering from another area, were Page 6 previously registered and wish to register with Havering, please send a copy of your previous registration to Adult Customer Services. For more information on registration contact your audiologist of Adult Customer Services. Useful Contacts Action on Hearing Loss (previously RNID) 19-23 Featherstone Street London EC1Y 8SL Telephone: 0808 808 0123 Textphone: 0808 808 9000 SMS: 0780 0000 360 Email: [email protected] Website: www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk Care Point 36 High Street Romford RM1 1HR Telephone: 01708 752435 Email: [email protected] Website: www.haveringcarepoint.org Citizens Advice Bureau Citizens Advice Bureau providing information and advice Page 7 Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10am-2pm. 44 North Street Hornchurch RM11 1TB Telephone 08444 111 444 Textphone 08444 111 445 Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk The Deaf Agency Spectrum House 2b Suttons Lane Hornchurch Essex RM12 6RJ Telephone / SMS: 07951 820 341 Telephone / SMS: 07951 820 314 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.deafagency.co.uk/Home.aspx Deafblind UK Deafblind UK Head Office National Centre for Deafblindness John & Lucille van Geest Place Cygnet Road Hampton Peterborough PE7 8FD Telephone / Textphone: 01733 358 100, Page 8 Fax: 01733 358 356 Email: [email protected] Website: www.deafblind.org.uk/ Deaf Roots Unit 6 Stratford Advice Arcade 107-109 The Grove Stratford E15 1HP Telephone or Text: 0208 534 7111 Telephone or Text: 07807348491 Email: [email protected] Website: www.deafroots.org.uk Disability Employment Advisor Jobcentre Plus 30 Main Road Romford RM1 3HH Telephone: 01708 774000 Telephone: 0845 6060 234 Textphone: 0845 6055 255 Gov.UK Website: www.gov.uk Page 9 Hard of Hearing & Deaf Group Telephone: 01708 609283 Havering Adult Customer Services Telephone: 01708 432000 Email: [email protected] Hearing Dogs for Deaf People The Grange Wycombe Road Saunderton Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire HP27 9NS Telephone / Textphone: 01844 348100 Fax: 01844 348101 Email: [email protected] Website: www.hearingdogs.org.uk Hearing Eyes Club Telephone: 01708 349952 Telephone: 0208 5994620 Page 10 Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) RAD Head Office Century House South Riverside Office Centre North Station Road Colchester Essex CO1 1RE Telephone: 0845 688 2525 Text Phone: 0845 688 2527 Fax: 0845 688 2526 SMS: 07851 423 866 Email: [email protected] Website: www.royaldeaf.org.uk NHS Direct Telephone: 111 Textphone: 18001 111. Website: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk Page 11