Sensory Loss Awareness- Accessible Health Care

Outcomes To raise awareness of the impact of visual and hearing impairment on those accessing health care. To ensure that BCUHB staff have the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate support for people with sensory impairment.

Deafness ‘When you lose your vision, you lose contact with things; when you lose your hearing, you lose contact with people’ Helen Keller

Hearing Loss Statistics 10 million people- 1 in 6 of the population, have some degree of hearing loss. 70% of people over 70 have hearing loss. About 50,000 people in Britain use BSL as their first or preferred language. Lip reading- only about 60% of English words are visible on the lips There are currently 356,000 deaf/blind people in Britain.

Impact of Sensory Loss Barrier to communication. Isolation and exclusion. High prevalence of depression, anxiety. Difficulty in making informed choices. Frustration, embarrassment Loss of independence Avoidance issues e.g. reluctant to visit the doctor if unable to hear what he says.

Support Within the BCUHB Access to BSL interpreters (Wales Interpretation and Translation Service- WITS) Loop system Volunteers to maintain hearing aids Symbols on patient’s notes to denote hearing loss/vision impairment Flashcards Hospital communication book

Considerations when Communicating with the Deaf Face the person and make sure you have their attention. Do not cover your face or mouth. Maintain eye contact. Keep background noise to a minimum. Speak up but do not shout. Use natural facial expressions. Speak slowly and clearly and emphasise only key words. Use other channels of communication, such as gestures, diagrams if appropriate. Write things down.

Give the other person time to respond and use different words if they don’t understand. Try to use lower pitched tones- they are heard more easily than higher ones Ascertain whether they communicate in BSL

Vision Loss O loss of sight, of thee I most complain. Blind among enemies, O worse than chains, dungeon or beggary, or decrepit age (John Milton) The chief handicap of the blind is not the blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them. (Helen Keller)

Vision impairment facts 10 There are 360,000 people in the UK registered as blind or partially sighted who have severe and irreversible sight loss. 1 in 5 people aged 75, and 1 in 2 aged 90 and over are living with sight loss. There are 25,000 blind and partially sighted children in the UK. Two thirds of blind and partially sighted people of working age are not in employment.

Effective Communication with Visually Impaired 11 Always identify yourself clearly and narrate your activities; inform the person when you are entering or leaving the room. Speak naturally- loss of eyesight does not mean loss of hearing Never channel conversation through a third person (or a guide dog!) Continue to use body language as this affects the tone of your voice and can give information to the person who is vision impaired

In a group situation, introduce the other person present Use accurate and specific language when giving directions. e.g. ‘the door is on the left’’ rather than ‘ the door is over there.’ Use their left and right, not yours.

Effective assistance for the Visually Impaired 13 Always check if help is needed. Let the person take your arm. In dangerous situations say ‘Stop’ rather than ‘Look out’ Use words like ‘look’ and ‘see’ as they are part of everyone’s vocabulary. Otherwise both you and the person with vision problems will feel awkward.

Describe the surroundings and obstacles in a person’s pathway (look up as well as down) When seating people, put their hands on the back of the chair. They will then be able to seat themselves. Do not fill cups to the brim Do not leave doors ajar. Open or close them fully

Conclusion I am fighting to be independent. Could you meet me half way? That’s all I ask of you – just half way. I can do the rest. Derek BCUHB patient