STAFF at Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust have taken part in deaf awareness training provided by Genie Networks, a charity that supports deaf people in the borough.
The training has given hospital staff the chance to experience for themselves what it’s like living with hearing loss by listening to tapes that simulate what someone who is severely hard-of-hearing might hear.
They have also learned a wide range of techniques for communicating with deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
And hospital staff have been learning from each other’s experiences of caring for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.
The deaf awareness course is being run by Michelle Reilly-Smith, Genie Networks deaf awareness coordinator and British sign language tutor.
Michelle, who is deaf herself, said: “It’s about giving hospital staff the knowledge and confidence to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
It’s about using email and text messages instead of the phone, for example, or clearly marking case notes so they know to tap a patient on the shoulder because they can’t hear their name being called out in the waiting room. Small steps like this can make hospitals much more accessible to people with hearing loss.”
Genie Networks also provide deaf awareness training to other private and public sector organisations. For more information email claire.johnson@genienetworks.org.uk
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