Support for adults who are d/Deaf or deafblind

Hard of hearing

HI Kent can support with hearing equipment and hearing aid clinics where you can get batteries and hearing aid care. If this is a service you require please visit the HI Kent website.

Sign language users

BSL Community provides support to you if you are Deaf and your first, or preferred language is British Sign Language.

BSL Community can assist you with advice, guidance, and help interpret things such as paperwork, letters, bills or booking an interpreter for a GP appointment.

For more information on how to book, please visit BSL Community’s website.

Visual Impairment

Kent Association for the Blind (KAB) provide support to you if you have a visual impairment.

Before we can offer you our services, a doctor needs to make sure that your hearing loss is permanent, unless it has been since birth or childhood.

If there are changes to your hearing, you can ask your GP for an ear examination. Once you have received the right health input, we can provide you with the support you need.

Specialist sensory services social workers and registered practitioners

You might have wider needs beyond your sensory impairment, maybe you are finding it hard to remain independent at home, or there are other issues affecting your health and wellbeing. In this case, we can offer you a full care needs assessment.

The assessment

We look at how your sensory impairment affects your day-to-day life and the things you want and need to do at home and in the community.

We know that everyone is different, so the options will be discussed with you during your assessment and you will be involved in decisions about how best to help improve your situation in a way which makes a difference to you.

We can let you know of help in your local area, such as voluntary organisations, local services as well as practical support for your sensory needs. This may be a referral to the enablement service to help you to learn the skills you need to be as independent as you can be.

We can also provide support to your family and or carer and arrange a referral for a carers assessment, find out more on our support for carers page.

If you have eligible needs, then we can support you to set up a package of care which promotes your wellbeing and helps you to remain independent for as long as possible.

We provide enablement services if you have a social worker or a registered practitioner in the Sensory Team and need support to be independent.

We help you to learn the skills you need to be able to do things for yourself and find activities to support your health and wellbeing. This may also include visiting you at home to try a range of equipment to support your hearing loss.

Support includes:

• getting benefit and debt advice
• help with budgeting
• tenancy support
• learning to travel independently
• staying safe and well at home, there is more information on our help to live at home page
• assessing you for specialist equipment to help you in your daily life
• teaching and assisting you with communication, like how to make calls with assistive technology, for example, video interpreted calls
• advice on what community support services are available for you, including social and peer support groups
• giving you information around employment, education, training and volunteering.

There are many examples of equipment that can help you stay independent.

• TV amplifiers which may help you to listen at a volume you can control by using headphones without loud volumes upsetting relatives or neighbours.
• We may be able to give you a doorbell, or an app on your phone or alternative devices which flash to alert you that there is someone at the door.
• We can talk to you about different options that may be available to hear when you’re on the phone and when it rings.
• If you are a parent, alerts can also be given to let you know your baby is crying or distressed.
• We can also make a referral for you to get smoke alarms which vibrate which may help you safely escape from fire, especially at night.

Adult safeguarding is the term used to describe the function of protecting adults, aged 18 or over who appear to have health and social care needs, from abuse or neglect.

For more information visit our adult safeguarding page.

There are several interpreting options available so you can access information and services, find out more on our interpretation service page.

Or you can watch our BSL presentation about interpretation services on Vimeo.

Benefits

Benefits for deaf people in BSL video from the deafPLUS Information and Advice Hub

Money worries or debt

PayPlan is now with SignVideo

Housing

There is plenty of advice and information relating to housing on theDeafplus website

Health

Information is available on the SignHealth video library

Mental health

Information and advice with the Your Mind - BSL Health Video Library from SignHealth

NHS National Deaf services website

Counselling

Therapy services available on the Signhealth website

Domestic abuse

Domestic Abuse BSL Videos from SignHealth

Work

Supported employment for jobseekers on The Education People website

Access to work guidance is available on the Disability Partnership Calderdale website

BSL 999

999 BSL - YouTube

Care Act for people in need of support

The Care Act Care and Support BSL - YouTube

Care Act for carers

The Care Act Carers BSL - YouTube

Living with hearing loss

Hearing loss information on the deafPLUS Information and Advice Hub

• Royal Association in Aid of Deaf People (RAD) provide a wide range of services for Deaf people, families, and professionals
• British Deaf Association (BDA)
• Sense
• Sign Health - the deaf health charity
• Deaf Blind UK provides practical and emotional support and use of technology, information, and advice
• Deaf Plus
• National Deaf Children’s Society

You can access SignLive on your desktop or download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

You will need to register the first time you use it. This will give you good video quality and means that your calls are secure.