Rehabilitation support

Our Visual Impairment Rehabilitation isn’t time limited and is delivered to you free at your home, in your community or your place of Work and includes activities such as providing support with:

• How to prepare and cook food safely reducing the risk of you burning or cutting yourself
• Mobilising inside your home and outside in the community reducing the risk of you tripping or falling and helping you to get out and about confidently
• Finding safe routes to your regular destinations such as shops, workplace or relatives
• Using public transport safely and confidently
• Using specialist equipment, assistive technology or learning Braille
• Maintain employment through use of the Access to Work scheme and by supporting you with any reasonable adjustments your employers may need to make
• Registering your sight impairment and understanding the benefits of registration

We undertake an assessment of your presenting need and functional vision and can provide you with detailed information about your eye condition. Lighting within your home is important which our team will assess as well as your environment, so we can provide home adaptation recommendations.

We appreciate the social and emotional impact of sight and dual sensory loss, we will take time to listen to you and to help you access any further support you need. This could include referring you to Social Care for Personal Budget information and assessment.

Our hearing rehabilitation is delivered by qualified and experienced staff all of whom have personal experience of significant hearing loss. We can support you in a variety of ways including:

• Registering your hearing impairment and understanding the benefits of registration
• Making the best use of residual hearing
• Getting the most out of hearing aid/s, cochlear implants or other hearing devices
• Managing conversations with family, friends or strangers
• Learning new communication methods such as finger spelling
• Provision of vital equipment within the home such as an accessible smoke alarm, doorbell, telephone or baby monitoring systems
• Demonstrating specialist aids and equipment such as Loop systems or TV listeners
• Maintaining employment through use of the Access to Work scheme and by supporting you with any reasonable adjustments your employers may need to make
• Signposting and referrals to our Voluntary Sector partners
• Referring you to Social Care for Personal Budget information and assessment

We recognise the social and emotional impact hearing loss or deafness can have on you as well as those around you and will take time to listen and help you access any further support you need.

We focus on delivering services which will support you to remain independent and communicating effectively, whilst improving your confidence, and ultimately keeping you safe within your home.

We can share information, advice and communication tips dealing with common issues such as Tinnitus, background noise, TV being too loud and difficulties with hearing aids. Many solutions are equipment or technology based and we have a great deal of expertise and experience in this area.

All of our team are trained and experienced in working with, and appropriately supporting, people who have a loss of sight and hearing. In addition to all of the activities described above we will specifically focus on your needs relating to:

• Accessing information
• Mobilising
• Communicating

We will offer you registration and information about local and national services available to you. We can discuss with you your entitlement to a specialist assessment under the Care Act 2014 and refer you to the team within Social Care who undertake these. They will assess your needs in relation to:

• Communication
• One-to-one support and social interaction
• Support with mobility
• Assistive technology
• Rehabilitation
• Your current and possible future needs

Where our support to you overlaps with the Social Work team we work closely together to ensure you receive a joined up and effective service. We also work in partnership with voluntary organisations who offer specialist support to deafblind people and can signpost or refer you to them should you wish.