A new online resource for people with hearing loss has launched in Edinburgh. The digital directory – designed as a one-stop-shop for adults seeking help and support – details the many services available to the estimated 40,000 people living with hearing loss in Edinburgh.
Featuring over 60 listings, the city’s first ever Hearing Loss Directory has been published ahead of World Hearing Day this Sunday (3 March), when organisations across the globe promote care and raise awareness of all forms of deafness.
- Suitable for adults who live in Edinburgh who have lost their hearing, it includes details of:
- Courses to learn new skills to manage hearing loss, tailored to the level of support people need, lipreading classes and one to one support with volunteers.
- Help accessing emotional and practical support, including the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership’s specialist social work service for people who acquire a hearing loss.
- Support groups to meet and talk with others in the same situation.
- Where to find equipment, including new batteries for hearing aids which can be collected from your local library.
- Employability services and advice for employers, and details of how the Scottish Government can help with the costs of equipment to support hard of hearing people to continue working.
- Bespoke information and support for veterans coping with tinnitus and hearing loss.
- Accessible events taking place at theatres, in cinemas and across the arts.
Edinburgh’s directory will also support the ambitions of the Scottish Government’s See Hear campaign, a national long-term strategy for meeting the needs of people with a sensory impairment.
Councillor Ricky Henderson, Chair of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, said: “If you have a hearing loss, there is a lot of help and support available for you in Edinburgh but it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start. Our new directory aims to bring these resources together, to make finding the most appropriate and valuable support easier and more accessible.
“There are many things you can do to help manage your own hearing loss or simple steps you can can take to help someone else with a diagnosis. A hearing loss need not stop you from enjoying all the things you did before, or even take up something new. I hope the directory raises awareness of the many ways in which support services can help people in this situation continue to live life to the full.”
Lorna Armstrong, Scotland Director at Hearing Link, added: “We have been delighted to support the creation of this directory. It will offer people living in Edinburgh, who have experienced changes in their hearing, the chance to access the information and support services that are available to them and help them to live confidently with their hearing.”
Find the Edinburgh Hearing Loss Directory at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/hearingloss.
