Hearing Concern LINK has a team of Outreach Volunteers covering all parts of the UK. They provide support, practical advice and help to deafened people and their families.
Outreach Volunteers are deafened people and the partners of deafened people. They contact people who live near to them through visits and by letter and/or e-mail.
•How will they help me?
Outreach Volunteers understand from their own personal experience what it is like to live with a severe or profound hearing loss and will give you the chance to talk about the difficulties and problems of coping and adjusting.
They will also be able to tell you about our intensive rehabilitation programmes and other courses and activities we run.
In addition they can help you locate local services such as lipreading classes, social services and equipment centres.
•Where are they?
Outreach Volunteers operate in different parts of the UK. They are of all ages and all backgrounds.
Much of their work is undertaken in collaboration with health professionals such as hearing therapists, audiologists and social workers.
•How do I meet an Outreach Volunteer?
To find an Outreach Volunteer in your area, or to refer a patient and client, please email us at .
•I'm interested in becoming an Outreach Volunteer, how do I apply?
More Outreach Volunteers are needed. If you are deafened or live with someone who is deafened and can spare about two hours per month, we would like to hear from you. Please contact us at .
Merlyn Bowen from Lancashire says ... After I became deafened, I felt absolutely alone and thought my life had caved in on me. Even though I have moved on from there, I can see that many of the people I meet as an Outreach Volunteer feel the same way I did.
When I visit people, we usually talk about communication, isolation, equipment, lip-reading classes, socialising, anything that they may wish to bring up. I also spend time with partners and the family because they too need understanding and support.
I feel that Outreach Volunteers bring hope to people and a belief that there is a future to look forward to. Learning from other deafened people is the essence of surviving hearing loss, and meeting an Outreach Volunteer is where this starts.
