Nicholas’ service update
Another month of excellent support delivered online and in-person. In no particular order, here’s how October went!
Helpful Hours
Huge thanks to all the peer support volunteers who attended the September trial sessions of the new Helpful Hour webinar – ‘Managing your healthcare with hearing loss’. Your feedback has helped shaped the content of the slides, narrative, and information sheets used in this session.
After the in-person launch at the Hearing Information Day in September, the webinar format launched this month.
Congratulations to Helen and Merleen for their work presenting the first one. With 10 people booked, including two lipreading teachers, it looks like we are set to help directly, and respond to a wider need for help on this vital subject.
One lipreading teacher has already commented (with a 5-star appraisal):
“As a professional, the feedback I have from students shows an overall need for improvements in terms of communication with deaf people in the healthcare sector. I will pass on this information as it will most certainly help [my students] to communicate their needs both before and during appointments. [I liked] the useful apps. The AccessAble app, for instance was completely new for me”.
We have two bookable dates available for this webinar to the end of 2024, and we would love to get as much feedback as we can in that time. If you joined the September trial, what do you make of it now? Sign up to our November webinar and let us know your thoughts on the following:
- Does the version cover all you would like it to?
- Are there any omissions?
- Are there any recommendations to the slides, narrative, or information sheets?
- If you were presenting, would you tell the story differently?
The invitation to see the Helpful Hours is of course open to all! Once you have seen it, you’ll be in a better place to recommend it.
Follow this link for the dates and sign-up link Helpful Hours dates and let us know what you think. Many thanks
Helpdesk
Nearly 20 peer support volunteers have responded to a variety of Helpdesk questions this month.
See below for an edited snippet of who writes in and the scope of issues (declared and hinted at) that our wonderful Helpdesk Responders react to. As always, a huge thanks to all the volunteer responders in October!
“I have an employee who uses a hearing aid at work. Their role requires them to work at height above other people in the team. It has become difficult for them to communicate with the people on the ground floor, roughly 20-30 feet below them. I wanted to apply for an Access to Work grant to help fund a device that would help them communicate clearly, but I am unsure what device would be helpful. Is this something you can assist me with?”
“I have been given two new Phonak hearing aids which should work with my android phone. I have been struggling to set them up with my phone and wondered if you have anyone who can help? I believe you have technology volunteers? Many thanks.”
“I don’t know how to get help I have gone profoundly deaf suddenly, and feel so cut off”
“Hi, I’m just enquiring whether there are any lip-reading classes I could join. I live in Worcester but can drive. My hearing, even with hearing aids has become very difficult for me and for those who are around me. I am 77yrs old and quite fit apart from my hearing loss”.
A great variety of subjects, so do continue to recommend the helpdesk to anyone who may have a question. It is still an excellent service to start the pathway conversation to all services.
LinkUp Support Group
Our LinkUp support group made a welcome return to Scotland this month, the first since May’s postponed event.
With 16 participants taking part, it was set to be another great opportunity for people to come together and explore the questions and responses to the topics and goals they wished to raise.
The excellent agenda included specific segments on technology, audiology and lipreading.
Huge thanks to the fab staff and peer support volunteer team of Helen, Hannah, May, Charles, Helen and Gordon.
Immediate participant feedback included:
“I think it has exceeded my expectations, and I left much more optimistic about living with deafness. The LinkUp support group can be a confidence booster to meet other people coping with hearing loss and there are many helpful tips about dealing with everyday life”.
“All the volunteers and staff were supportive, patient and kind. I felt I could talk to any one of them and would not be considered a nuisance. I was very nervous about attending on my own and almost did not come, but I am so glad I did”.
..and from LinkUp peer support volunteer May
“I am so pleased they saw us as a such a strong team and knew we were approachable and there for them if needed. They themselves were such generous peer supporters, sharing and making friends.
Good feedback for all. The framework for the weekends is well worked out. Such a positive weekend!”
Community Outreach
The monthly drop-ins had a mixed reception in October with the weather affecting play at two of the seven venues. Special thanks go to Elaine and Fiona who braved the journey to the venues, but without the reward.
All the other venues in Edinburgh, Worcester, north and south London and Hertfordshire had strong sessions with a number of referrals via the Hello2 app.
Peer support volunteer Sylvia in Hertfordshire said about their first full-team event: “It was a lively and enjoyable morning, engaging with 11 beneficiaries for Jeff, Angela and myself, patiently observed by Jeff’s adorable hearing dog Shyla. Ten people took away literature and we had some lengthy chats before and after their hearing aid repair appointments. There was a broad cross-section of ages too, always good to see. We were able to assist one lady with a hearing loop issue on her hearing aids and came along with her remarkable 108-year-old mother!”
In-depth conversations are of course a theme across these drop-ins, as peer support volunteer Ann at the Edinburgh Audiology session noted: “Towards the end of the afternoon, I had a long interaction with a couple and our conversation was in two parts – both before and after seeing the audiologist. The husband also has significant balance problems, and he relies very heavily on his wife’s physical and confidence support at all times. Whilst they were interested in the idea of LinkUp support group, his wife expressed real concerns about challenges travelling to a residential venue, should they end up committing to it. I know there’s a long road followed with people who may get in touch with LinkUp in mind – and I think that our interaction will be very helpful to that couple, irrespective of whether they ever get to the point of registering for a LinkUp.”
The interactions our volunteers have at drop-ins show how much empathy and patience play a major role at different stages in the beneficiary journey.
Community Days
Thank you to all the volunteers providing information to attendees at the three October events in Northampton, Severn Beach and Reading.
Do get in touch if you are free to attend on any of the upcoming community days in 2024:
- November: 9 – Norwich, 20 – Belfast, 27 – Liverpool. or 29 – York
- December: 3 – Worcester. 6 – Oxford. 6 – Lewes
Some events may feel like a ‘slow burn’, but as previously mentioned, your reassuring presence is an excellent introduction to all we can offer in terms of support and advice. It’s also an excellent opportunity to work alongside our partnership instructor colleagues – many thanks in advance if you can help
Speakers
If you are a volunteer speaker for the Charity you may be used to generating your own talks and presentations. It’s important that we continue to give you the right support and also any follow up is managed correctly.
If you have anything currently booked in, or if you set something up, please use these two forms.
- Talks and Presentations – Talks Pre-event Form
- Talks and Presentations – Talks Post-event Form
Equally, if you would like a selection of services literature, please use this form Resources – Hearing Link Services. Note that stocks are relatively low on some items while we wait for the new website to be up and running.
If you would like a tablecloth and desk-top banner, please say so on the form in the box marked Additional Comments.
We ask you to return the tablecloth and pop-up banners promptly. You can claim return postage on the volunteer expenses form. If that is an issue, please let us know at the time of booking.