Presentations text content in A Perspective on Ageing People with Sensory Disabilities
Slide1
A Perspective on Ageing People with Sensory Disabilities
Jeign CraigVice President HIPEN
Slide2Slide3
Hearing Loss
Hearing loss
affects more
than
10 million people in the UK ( 1 in 6 of the population)
The most common type of hearing loss is called ‘
presbyacusis
’ or ‘age-related hearing loss’.
(70
% of people aged over
70
more
than 90% of people aged over
80 have a hearing loss
.
)
Many people
living in sheltered
housing, residential
and nursing homes for older people will have a hearing
loss.
They may not have
recognised it or sought help.
It
is vital that these people are supported to manage their hearing loss
and minimise
the impact on their quality of life.
Slide4Care Providers
Staff in the care homes should be trained,
so they can:
1 Intervene early
in hearing loss
.
2
Meet
communication needs
.
3
Improve
hearing aid use and management.
Slide5Hearing loss
Hearing loss is usually described in terms of severity:
mild
moderate
severe
profound
mild
hearing
loss will mean some
difficulty following speech, especially in noisy environments.
They
may wear hearing aids – if their hearing loss has been diagnosed – and find
lipreading
useful.
They
will nearly always use speech to communicate.
Slide6moderate
hearing loss
means the person will
find it difficult to follow speech, especially in noisy environments.
They
will probably wear hearing aids
and/or
lipread
severe
hearing loss
means the person may
have difficulty following speech, even with hearing aids.
They
may
lipread
and/or use British Sign Language (BSL) and communication support
Slide7profound
hearing loss
means a person may
use BSL as their first or preferred
language.
People who use BSL often consider themselves to be part of the Deaf community.
23,000
people in the UK
are
deafblind
–
they
have a combined hearing and sight loss. Many people who are
deafblind
have some hearing and vision.
Others
will be totally deaf and/or totally blind.
Slide8The Impact of Hearing loss
If people
are not supported to manage their hearing loss effectively
,
it can
lead to:
• communication
difficulties
• social isolation
• anger and frustration
• low confidence, especially in social settings
• depression
• stress and anxiety
.
For many
people with age-related hearing loss
their life will lead to
a life
without active
participation.
Others
may want
help
but may
not be sure
of what
they
can do.
Slide9Dementia
Recent research has
shown
that there is a link between
hearing loss and dementia
.
People with mild hearing loss have nearly twice the chance of
developing
dementia.
The risk
increases –
three times for people
with
moderate hearing loss,
and
five times
for
people
with
severe
hearing loss.
Slide10Hearing and sight loss
As people get older, their sight, as well as their
hearing, begins
to worsen.
People
with a combined
hearing and sight loss
will
find:
Communicating
effectively
will be very challenging
Problems with reading
Problems getting around
Problems carrying
out simple tasks without
help
they
may not answer questions
appropriately – this can be
misinterpreted as an early sign of
dementia
Older people with hearing and sight loss may easily
become
withdrawn
and depressed.
Their isolation may
have a negative
effect on their relationships with family
and
friends.
Slide11Communication - lipreading
F
ind
a suitable environment with good lighting, away from noise and distractions
Sit
or stand at the same level
about 1m away
from the
lipreader
Face
the light, or your face will be in shadow
Make
sure the
lipreader
is looking at you before you speak
Introduce
the topic of conversation
Speak
clearly at a moderate pace, without raising your
voice
Use
natural body language.
Keep
your face visible
.
Check
that the
lipreader
is following you.
Be
patient and take time to communicate.
Slide12Communication – Write key words
If you
can’t make yourself understood, write down key words (not everything) and then continue the conversation.
If
the person has sight problems, use a thicker pen or a different colour pen or paper, and make your writing bigger. Work together to find out what will help the most
.
Don’t use CAPITAL
LETTERS. It’s the written equivalent of shouting and doesn’t actually make things clearer.
Slide13Communication – body language
Point
to objects, pictures or people that you are talking about.
Use
facial expressions
to show how you feel.
Use
objects
to represent
people, things or activities.
Put the
object in the person’s hand so they can feel or smell it.
This
is often a good method for communicating with
deafblind
people, or people with learning disabilities or dementia.
[e.g. you
could
put a
cup in their hand for “Would you like some tea
?”]
Slide14Communication – professional support
S
ign
language
interpreters
Lipspeakers
Notetakers
S
peech-to-text reporters
also
(although mainly used in educational environments)
Communication Support Workers
Cued Speech Transliterators
Slide15Communication - the environment
Flooring
- carpet
helps to absorb noise.
Soft furnishings
help to
reduce sound reverberation and echo.
Walls
and
curtains
-
busy
or bold patterns on can
be distracting
.
Good
lighting
- without
any glare or shadows
.
Thick tablecloths
reduce
the
noise of
cutlery and crockery.
Round dining tables
-
so everyone can see each other.
Slide16Recognising the signs of age-related hearing loss
A person who is losing their hearing will:
• complain
about others mumbling
• need to have things repeated several times
• complain that they cannot hear as well as they used to
•
will not
react to you
• struggle to hear on the telephone
• have the TV or radio
very
loud
•
cannot follow
conversation in noisy
places.
change
in behaviour
- be
more withdrawn or stop taking part in conversation and activities
.
Slide17Hearing aids
Many people with hearing loss find hearing aids very helpful.
It
can take some time for people to adjust to their hearing aids and it’s important that they get
support.
Digital hearing aids
(UK provide these free
on
NHS, they
can also be bought privately
.)
Digital means that the audiologist can fine-tune them to match a person’s hearing loss and needs.
Slide18Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid
Slide19In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid
Slide20Body worn hearing aid
Slide21Managing a hearing aid
Daily check to see if it is working
Adjusting the settings
Cleaning the
earmould
and tube
Re-tubing
Changing the batteries
All of the above may be difficult for elderly people (using fine manual skills/ understanding)
Slide22Aids to hearing
telephones fitted
with a hearing loop or are specially designed for people with hearing
loss
textphones
a
hearing loop or infrared
system for the TV, radio, music system
flashing
smoke
alarms
accessible
entry
systems (vibrating or flashing doorbell)
good
lighting in all
areas
TV
with
digital
subtitles
quiet environment (minimise background noise)
seating
arrangement that is helpful for
communication
Slide23UK organisations
Age UK
www.ageuk.org.uk
Action
on Hearing Loss
www.actiononhearlingloss.org.uk
Association
of Teachers of
Lipreading
to Adults
(ATLA)
www.lipreading.org.uk
British Deaf Association (BDA)
www.bda.org.uk
British Tinnitus Association (BTA
)
www.tinnitus.org.uk
Hearing Link
www.hearinglink.org
Slide24Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
www.hearing-dogs.org.uk
Deafblind
UK
www.deafblind.org.uk
National Association for Deafened
People (NADP)
www.nadp.org.uk
Sign
Health
www.signhealth.org.uk
Text
Relay
www.textrelay.org.uk
RNIB
www.rnib.org.uk
Sense
www.sense.org.uk
Signature
www.signature.org.uk
Slide25
Key points – a summary
Age of onset of deafness
Type of deafness
Other disabilities
Communication needs
Worsening sight, mobility etc
Other health issues
Varying situations – home, care home, hospital
Achieving Independence – support needed
Slide26Give information of what is available to people suffering from hearing lossGive information of what is available to people caring for elderly peopleGive training to people who have a hearing lossGive training for people who are caring for elderly people with a hearing loss – ProDeafToolKit
How can we help?
A Perspective on Ageing People with Sensory Disabilities
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