| Topic: | Re: Link between Hearing Loss & Dementia | |
| Posted by: | Philippa Bond | |
| Date/Time: | 12/12/14 11:16:00 |
| Yes it needs to be joined up as it actually gets harder for people get to the appointments as their mobility declines. Several PCTs including North Staffordshire have proposed no longer providing hearing aids to residents with mild to moderate hearing loss. Yet it is easier to get used to hearing aids if you don't wait for years until you get them. Since it makes it easier for other members of the medical profession to communicate with anybody with deafness (so saving time, money and stress) it just seems such a short-sighted (LOL) and misguided cost saving ie just pushing the cost from one NHS budget to several others. http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/hearing-aid-cuts.aspx What we do need is hearing aids that don't have such fiddly little batteries. The things are hard enough for people to get used to and persevere with. Action on Hearing Loss do have a campaign and in some areas they have volunteers who help and encourage new users to persevere until they succeed in using them. Presumably and hopefully hearing aids will continue to improve. Don't get them and leave them in a drawer! |