One of Calderdale’s Social Prescribing Link Workers from the Lower Valley, Ella Fairbrother recently went to meet Katherine Bland, Visual Impairment Team and Michelle Gerrard, Hearing Impairment Team at The Glenholme Re-source Centre, Elland where they are currently based. Ella wanted to know and see exactly what the service could offer so that she could best advise her patients and pass on this information to her colleagues to enable them to do the same.
Perhaps you struggle to hear the doorbell when it rings, miss phone calls or struggle to hear friends when they call you on the telephone. Michelle can make suggestions for equipment which might help you. Something such as the telephone amplifier below can be fitted onto someone’s telephone in order to amplify the sound or a doorbell alert with a vibrating pad.
Maybe you have cataracts, age related macular degeneration or another significant visual impairment which prevents you from reading or seeing the television clearly: or perhaps the numbers on your kitchen scales/ cooker/microwave are too small.
Katherine/Sue may be able to work with you and suggest appropriate strategies using tactile markings; magnifiers, and advise about specialist equipment. Supporting people to use a cane is also something Katherine/Sue can help with. She recently helped a university student with their bus routes and finding their way around campus after providing long cane training. Within the team there is also a dual sensory loss worker, Debbie Greaves, who supports those with sight and hearing loss.
Did you know that if you are an adult with significant sight or hearing loss, you can self-refer to the hearing or visual impairment teams by contacting Gateway to Care on 01422 393000, TEXT PHONE for the deaf – 0777454642, or emailing them to ask for a referral on gatewaytocare@calderdale.gov.uk
Following this, the appropriate person will contact you to arrange to speak with and visit you and assess your needs on a case by case basis.
For a child referral, contact: MAST Admin, T: 01422 393336
Katherine, Sue and Michelle aim to keep people independent in their homes and may be able to suggest equipment that can help and support you to do so.
The team will be moving to new premises and hope to hold open days for people to drop in and gain information and advice and try all the brilliant equipment.
