Points made in Staffordshire Survey Jan 2020

Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups are inviting people to give their views in a survey about making difficult decisions.  One of the services being consulted about is Hearing Loss in Adults.  North Staffordshire ceased provision of hearing aids for adults with mild hearing loss in 2015.  I worry that this will spread to the other Staffordshire CCGs.  I filled in the survey and the comments I put in the boxes provided are below.

"As you have stated NICE have said that audiogram thresholds should not be the only factor used to determine whether or not people can benefit from hearing aids.  Hearing loss is complex. Clarity of speech depends on many things including which frequencies the patient has most difficulty with. Patients should be treated individually according to their needs.  One single average dB reading is a nonsense as hearing loss is usually different at different frequencies. People with high frequency loss are likely to have problems with some consonants. Consonants give speech its meaning.  Try this:  

I am a -earing aid wearer wi-- mild to moderate, -igh -re-uen-y -earing lo--.  I -ave worn digi-al N-- -earing aid- -or --e la-t twelve year-. To -ay --at --ey -ave tran--ormed my li-e i- no e-aggeration.  

Loo-ing ba-- over my -re--earing aid year- I wonder -ow I managed.  A- a middle ---ool tea--er in charge of the -E de-artment but tea--ing -al- my timetable in -la--room -ubje-t- I -tru--led -on-tantly.  -earing what --ildren were -aying in the gym or on --e -ield wa- a -er-etual -roblem and I wa- re-eatedly -om-laining about --ildren mumbling and --ea-ing indi-tin-tly in the -la--room.  -ta-- meeting- were a nightmare. My brain -ad to wor- overtime to try to -ee- tra-- of di--u----ns --at I wa- too o-ten relu-tant to join in a- I -ould not be -ure what -ad been -aid. Al--ough I did not reali-e it at --e time it -a- be-ome a--arent --at --e --eer e--ort of ma-ing -en-e of -onver-a---n --roughout --e day wa- what -au-ed me to -lum- into a -oma-li-e -lee- every evening - --u- robbing me of true re-t and rela-ation a-tivitie-.  On o--a-ion- when I -tarted wat--ing a televi---n -ro-ramme I o-ten had to a-- family member- what had been -aid only to be told --at I --ould -ay -ull atten--on. I rarely -aw --e end- of -ro-ramme-. 

That is what someone with mild hearing loss might hear.  Would you like all your printed material written in this fashion?  People with hearing loss have no alternative to hearing that unless they are provided with hearing aids.  The full article can be viewed here:" https://bliss2hear.blogspot.com/2017/01/making-sense-of-speech.html

"Patients should be treated as individuals.  Only they can tell if hearing aids are helpful to them.  One senior audiologist told me that she could have two patients with exactly the same audiogram readings but the impact on their lives could be entirely different."

"NICE states that hearing loss can lead to isolation - depression and accelerated development of dementia.  There is a proven link between hearing loss and dementia and there is currently much research being carried out on this subject.  There is an old saying, "a stitch in time saves nine." Treat mild hearing loss and you could save money in the long run by reducing the need to treat depression and dementia."

"The social impact of hearing loss should not be underestimated.  I give talks and host information stands for Action on Hearing Loss and speak to many people with hearing loss - and their nearest and dearest.  The impact on the latter should not be underestimated. It is extremely frustrating to try to hold a conversation with someone who has difficulty hearing.  If the person with hearing loss has not already isolated themselves other people may do so. I have seen this happen many times. It is very sad to see someone in a room with others but not being involved in the conversation.  Please do not remove these lifelines for those of us who are aurally challenged."