Diagram of a Hearing Aid
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The week of May 7th to 13th is national Deaf Awareness Week. One in seven adults in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing. Most are older people who are gradually losing their hearing as part of the ageing process. The most difficult listening situation for any hearing impaired person is hearing speech clearly in background noise.
The Audiology Department will be marking Deaf Awareness Week by setting up a display about hearing impairment issues on the Addenbrooke’s Concourse between Tuesday 8th and Friday 11th May 2007 inclusive.
The display will include posters about hearing loss, leaflets about hearing aids and how to solve common problems with them, and a video about loop systems and how to work them within the hospital. The stall aims to highlight the need for effective communication with hearing impaired individuals and is aimed for staff, carers, families who have relatives with hearing loss, and patients. We will also be trying to encourage people to wander the concourse with earplugs in, with the aim of simulating hearing loss, so that they may understand better some of the problems faced by the hearing impaired.
Audiologists will be available to advise on communication with the hearing impaired and to answer any questions related to hearing loss. Volunteers from the CAMpaign for Tackling Acquired Deafness (CamTAD) will be available at the stand each afternoon to promote their services in Cambridgeshire.
A member of the Cambridgeshire Social Services Sensory Impairment Team will be available on Thursday to give advice on Assistive Listening Devices and equipment other than hearing aids that can help the hearing impaired. Cambridge Deaf Association will also be represented. Their advisors are able provide support for the deaf and hard of hearing on housing issues.
If you ever need to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing people please pay us a visit to learn more about effective communication with them.
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