Take action to improve the lives of deafblind older people

Too many older people who are deafblind miss out on the support they need. The Fill in the Gaps campaign aims to change this by raising awareness amongst professionals about how best to support deafblind older people.

Hearing and sight loss in old age is more common than we think and it presents huge challenges. But with the right support, people can continue to live full, active and healthy lives. The campaign aims to ensure that all those with older relatives with poor hearing and sight know how best to support them. It aims to ensure that people such as primary health professionals or care home staff make sure that older deafblind people are referred for the right sort of assessment and support.

http://www.sense.org.uk/campaigns/older_people/

Joining it up - week of action

Take action to improve the lives of deafblind older people Support International Day of Older People on 1 October by taking action between 1 and 11 October.

Our action pack contains a range of activities for professionals, posters to display, quizzes and case studies to discuss and many more ideas. We want you to work in partnership with other primary health care staff, older persons’ and sensory teams in social services, and domiciliary and care home service providers to:

• ensure that older deafblind people are quickly and effectively diagnosed

• ensure that older deafblind people are referred to the right person to get the support they need

• start setting in place procedures and practices that will ensure that this joint working will continue

http://www.sense.org.uk/campaigns/older_people/joining_up_week_of_action.htm This provides links to the pack. Make a difference to a deafblind person. Volunteer for Sense at an event or holiday in 2009.

Source: Sense