Katy Clark’s support for hearing services …

from Katy’s online newsletter

Action on Hearing Loss currently runs a number of Hear-To-Help drop-in services across Ayrshire and Arran. More than 1,200 people from Ayrshire and Arran use it each year, for advice and support on their hearing problems but its funding is due to end in March, meaning the service may stop. Katy pointed out that if these drop-in centres stop running, people will have to travel to either Crosshouse Hospital or University Hospital Ayr. This would make the services much more difficult to access and result in many people being alone with a disabling problem.

Inability to hear is no joke. It is socially isolating and can result in people being left out of quite vital communication. We all know countless people who wear spectacles to deal with sight problems, and there are very few people over 49 who do not use them. Why should the slow loss of hearing be regarded as less significant? Katy points out that more than a thousand people currently use Hear-To-Help services in Ayrshire and Arran each year and there are already considerable pressures on audiology services in the hospitals. The closure of Hear-To-Help drop-in centres would make this much worse.  It is vital that Hear-To-Help services are protected so that people can access the support they need.