Blog: A Christmas Tool Kit 2023
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
3M ago
Christmas is about giving, and the gift of hearing is a precious one, as those without it can appreciate to the full. Hearing loss affects confidence and self-esteem, and the added pressure at Christmas to take part in social events may create anxiety or even dread. Instead of looking forward to them, they become something to endure and escape from at the earliest possible opportunity. Socialising is essential for a person’s wellbeing and helping to avoid feelings of isolation. So, whilst there is no magic formula, there are coping strategies to help achieve the best possible outcome. It is im ..read more
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Blog: Helpful Hours return for 2024!
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
4M ago
Due to the incredible success and wonderful feedback we have received, our Helpful Hours service has added new dates for 2024! Since its launch, we have run four Helpful Hour webinars on the topic of “How to get the most from your audiology appointment” which offers help and advice for attending your first, or a returning, visit to see an audiologist. Those four sessions have received such wonderful feedback that we’ve scheduled more dates for the new year. “The information will help clarify my thinking before an appointment and be more proactive during it, and unafraid to make my views h ..read more
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Blog: A learning curve
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
4M ago
I have always enjoyed the challenge of recreational and academic classes over the years. I have tried my hand at upholstery, car mechanics, environmental studies, and languages to name but a few. My passion for languages stemmed from an inspirational French teacher at secondary school. This led to a career in international banking and then adult education and primary school teaching. My love of Italy, the language and its people, which commenced with a trip to Sicily in my twenties, has never diminished. The appreciation of making an effort to converse is so rewarding and uplifting. The impor ..read more
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Book Review: “Living with Hearing Loss and Deafness” by Samantha Baines
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
5M ago
Who is Samantha Baines? Samantha Baines is a comedian, actress, broadcaster, and author. She was diagnosed with hearing loss in her twenties and her book is an honest and comprehensive guide to all aspects of hearing loss. Samantha writes from experience and as an ambassador for Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) as well as a promoter for high street audiology providers. She acknowledges that a perk is free hearing aids privately, but that does not detract from the value of the information she provides. The book itself Samantha’s sense of humour is well placed and whilst describi ..read more
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Blog 4: Getting ready for launch
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
6M ago
As we prepare to host our first Helpful Hour webinar this week (Friday October 13), our volunteer Julia counts down to our live event… The countdown begins COUNTDOWN! It really does feel like we are launching something very special out into the wide unknown. Our peer support team have spent many hours, over many months, with much thought and discussion about our Helpful Hours project – and now we’re nearly ready to go. The detail is secure: the PowerPoint with excellent comprehensive slides, the accompanying handout notes (all given the polish by charity staff) are finished (or as finished as ..read more
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Blog 3: Testing Helpful Hours in front of a live audience
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
6M ago
Making sure our Helpful Hour hits the right note in terms of content and effectiveness, our volunteer team has been busy presenting to live and online audiences. Find out how they got on… Now that we had the structure of our first Helpful Hour established, we had to make sure the information we were sharing about preparing for audiology appointments worked well. We started our testing phase by presenting to our own volunteer family. Our peer support volunteers all have lived experience of hearing loss and their input to this session was incredibly important. Their feedback helped to shape our ..read more
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Blog 2: How five golden nuggets became a Helpful Hour
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
6M ago
Here, we take a look behind the scenes at how our peer support volunteers designed our first Helpful Hour – ‘How to get the most from your audiology appointment’. Our volunteer Sylvia gives an insight to the creation of Helpful Hours. A new idea I love a challenge so when peer support volunteers were sought to develop a new service called Helpful Hours, I leaped at the chance, despite having no idea what it was or what it would entail. However, our Services Delivery Manager not only had a clear vision, but such drive and infectious enthusiasm that within a short time our small team were commit ..read more
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Blog: Meet the volunteers behind our Helpful Hours
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
7M ago
What are Helpful Hours? We recently announced the launch of a new service called Helpful Hours. Helpful Hours are a series of 60-minute sessions, based on important hearing loss topics. Each session will include up to five segments to allow for several aspects of the topic to be covered. Our first bookable session is a webinar called ‘How to get the most from your audiology appointment’. This has been designed by a group of peer support volunteers, who will also present the session. Over the next month, we will be sharing their experience of developing this new service through a series of blog ..read more
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Review: “Name me Lawand” by Edward Lovelace
Hearing Link
by emily.welham
8M ago
By Sylvia, Hearing Link Services volunteer. The plot “Name me Lawand” a 2022 documentary directed by Edward Lovelace, follows the path of a young boy called Lawand, who was born profoundly deaf in Iraqi Kurdistan, as he learns to communicate. At the age of five, his family undertook a perilous journey, by land and sea to find a way forward for Lawand, who was stigmatised and bullied at school with no support available. They spent a year in a refugee camp in France where a deaf aid worker helped the family move to Derby in the UK so that Lawand could attend the Royal School for the Deaf. It is ..read more
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Review: Rose Ayling-Ellis – Signs for Change
Hearing Link
by Lorna Armstrong
9M ago
By Sylvia, Hearing Link Services volunteer When I last wrote about Rose, she was playing Celia in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. She was subsequently nominated for an Olivier Award, not just an accolade, but proof that British Sign Language (BSL) can work in theatre. Her performance largely in sign language, together with her Strictly Come Dancing win in 2021, have raised interest in learning BSL and inspired many individuals and families dealing with deafness. Rose’s recent informative and thought-provoking documentary Signs for Change aired on BBC1, is her story, told her way. It begins and e ..read more
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