Glenys Jones, Heather Evans & Paul Saunders Changing Attitudes

ACTION ON HEARING LOSS - VISION Action on Hearing Loss is the new name for RNID We’ve been around since We help people confronting deafness, tinnitus and hearing loss to live the life they choose. We enable them to take control of their lives and remove the barriers in their way.

STATISTICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS UK figures show 10 million people have hearing loss 1 in 6 of the population By 2031 this will have increased to 14.5 million in the UK

STATISTICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS- WALES 530,000 = The amount of people in Wales that have hearing loss. 300,000 =The amount of people in Wales that would benefit from hearing aids. 10% of the population. 45,000 =The amount of people in Wales that are severely or profoundly deaf.

CASE STUDY 1

CASE STUDY 2 A lady in her mid 50’s who is a profoundly deaf BSL user. This lady has Cerebral Palsy and as such only has the use of one arm, she is also partially sighted She needed and asked for specialist support within the community in order to gain her confidence, help ensure she could access services, participate in her local community and she also needed assistance within her home, with her tenancy, bills and correspondence Specialist support services were provided by our team, but when the social worker changed, she was re assessed (no interpreter present) and the social worker decided that she was no longer eligible to receive specialist services, and so she stopped the support, (giving only 3 days notice on December 21st) After some discussions, a new worker from a different agency, was put in place by the social work team, but they could not use BSL, This decision was challenged and a direct payment option was requested so that the lady could purchase services from the provider of her choice - this was refused as the social work team said they did not provide direct payments Since then, this lady has become very depressed, and now has significant issues with her housing and money and she is very isolated. She is still contacting us asking for our support but social services continue to say her needs are being met

EQUALITY OF ACCESS People who are deaf or with hearing loss should be offered outcomes focussed community support services to encourage and promote independence, according to people’s own personal capabilities. People who are deaf or with hearing loss should be respected and their differences embraced – without discrimination. People should be involved in all choices about how they are supported as well as in how their services are delivered and run. Being deaf or hard of hearing does not restrict people in achieving their aspirations goals. This is how Action on Hearing Loss Cymru provides its services – we believe it should be the same across Wales

CHANGING ATTITUDES – WHY DO WE NEED TO ? Effective and specialist Support in the community  ‘A young man who lived in the rural area had family issues and there was a communication breakdown. He became isolated and suffered mental health problems. He wanted to go to college but couldn’t sustain his placement as the right support was not available to him. Social Services agreed up to 10 hours a week support from Action on Hearing Loss Cymru. He eventually moved to England where now gets 24/7 support. Since moving, he has given up drinking and enrolled in a college. That’s what the right support can do. But why should he have had to leave Wales and his home?’ We need to work to ensure that all people who are deaf and hard of hearing are informed to make their own decisions, have equal access to information and support and that services are more person- focussed. Effective signposting and information  Currently 78% of people with hearing loss leave audiology not aware of other important support available. How can they be expected to support themselves to live independently if they don’t know about the support in the first place? Given the imminent massive increase in the numbers of people with hearing loss, local community services will become increasingly important. People with hearing loss will need signposting to local information and service, they will need peer support and they will need information about assistive equipment.

CHANGING ATTITUDES – WHY DO WE NEED TO ? Access to assistive equipment  ‘In a residential care home in West Wales, our team met a man with hearing and sight loss. We introduced him to the Sonido listener and let him test it – his face lit up. He could hear staff for the first time. He could hear our staff and was able to have a conversation in Welsh for the first time in years. The staff didn’t know about the equipment. It costs just £60.’ People with hearing loss in Wales are missing out on assistive equipment that could transform their lives. Best practice needed for services – effective communication is vital  ‘An elderly couple in their 70s who are involved in the local deaf community have started to suffer ill health and dementia. They have some support at home for bathing – but the support is from carers who can’t communicate in BSL. So the woman is bathed by someone who she can’t communicate with.’ People with hearing loss should be able to access services that meet their communication needs

ACTION ON HEARING LOSS SERVICES Campaigns Communications Services Membership Care & Support Services Equipment – Products Volunteering and participation Hear to Help Hear to Meet On Line today Information & Resource / Tinnitus Line Hearing Progress – Research Access Solutions – Business Development & Consultancy Services. Employment. Care Quality in residential homes.

EQUIPMENT Equipment available to suit individual needs. Action on Hearing Loss: Products Social Services Sensory Team Audiology

COMMUNICATION SUPPORT BSL / English Interpreters Lip-speakers Deaf-blind Interpreters Note-takers Electronic / Manual note-takers Speech to text reporters.

ACCESS SOLUTIONS BUSINESS & TRAINING CONSULTANCY Support & Information for Individuals & Employers – Wales Employment team. Employee Assessments & Solutions Installation & Maintenance of loop systems Further education / training Deaf awareness and sign language training Louder than words charter

CAMPAIGNS Access to health / Public Services / Arts & Entertainment Hearing Screening Communication Rights Increasing Audiology Support Increasing lipreading classes

HEAR TO HELP Hear to help is a local service to help adult hearing aid users get the best out of their hearing aids, it is run by fully trained staff and hearing aid users. Help with: Caring for and getting used to hearing aids Basic problem solving (batteries & re- tubing) Local services and other support Information & Equipment available

HERE TO MEET Local meeting groups Over 50’s with hearing loss Social opportunities Meet new people Share experiences Enjoy activities

ON LINE TODAY! A new big lottery project to help people with sensory loss across the UK to get On Line. Introduction to using a computer. To inform, increase knowledge. Increase confidence in using technology. Demonstrations of products. Providing the right support to suit indivdual needs.

CARE & SUPPORT Our Care & Support service provides specialist support for People who are Deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf blind living in their own homes, supported housing and or Residential / Nursing Care Our services also specialise in supporting people who may also have learning difficulties, physical disabilities, mental health needs and / or difficulty maintaining contact with the local community. We can provide low – medium, short term or continuing specialist Support and Care Our aim is to enable the people we support to promote and develop independence skills to reach their full potential and to have access to a wide range of services and local amenities. Each person has a personal Support Plan, based on their individual needs and aspirations. We can help with a wide range of practical matters to enhance people’s skills and quality of life, such as supporting to maintain their tenancy, Managing money and paying bills, Applying for benefits, Gaining access to other services, Meeting people and making friends, Security, health & safety, Staying healthy, Making health appointments and support in accessing them, Managing medication, Moving on and finding other accommodation, General advice, Emotional support, Cooking, Accessing public transport, Writing & sending letters, Seeking employment, Finding college courses……..

OTHER AVAILABLE SERVICES Hearing therapists and audiologists: Provide help with getting the most out of a hearing aid. Lip reading classes: Help develop effective communication skills Social services – sensory teams: Unified assessments of the home, provide support, equipment to meet individual needs. Sign language / Deaf Awareness classes: Learn to communicate with other sign language users

OPPORTUNITIES TO CHANGE ATTITUDES – HERE AND NOW …. This conference today offers us all with a fantastic opportunity to help raise awareness and begin to address the current short-falls in services in Wales for those who are deaf or have a hearing loss. In the next 17 years the numbers of people with hearing loss in Wales will grow by almost half. We urge you all to support us, and work with us, in ensuring we are able to give people with hearing loss equal access to the right support and information to help them live their lives to the full. “ we can make a difference”

ANY QUESTIONS?