Hearing loss health evening to raise public awareness

Local residents in both Brighton and Portsmouth will be encouraged to meet in the middle and attend a patient information evening in Bognor Regis.

The major issue covered at the event will be based on hearing loss and how deafness can affect many local communities in the region.

The talK will be addressed by Cathy Cobbald, who became deaf overnight back in 1989. Since then, Ms Cobbald has had to learn how to lip read and has given support and advice to those who lose their hearing over time. It is especially important to offer information to nurses and teaching doctors, who deal with deaf patients on a regular basis. More recently, she has represented deaf people on various council committess in order to develop new services and facilities in the wider southern region.

Ms Cobbald argues that many deaf people often feel left out of communities as many people generally are not aware or do not accept hearing loss.

The evening is being run by Maywood Patient Group. Peter Coles, the group’s chairman, said to the Bognor Regis Observer: “Whether we are affected ourselves, or have to deal with it because friends or family matters are affected, we need to understand better how to handle poor hearing.

“Older men in particular try to ignore the problem and just turn up the telly. There is a great deal of help available.”

It is important to spot signs of hearing loss as soon as possible and then make an appointment with your local doctor or GP.

Tickets for the event are free, and will be available from the reception desk at Maywood Surgery on Hawthorn Road.

The event will take place at Marion’s Restaurant in Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital, located on Shripney Road, on May 9th. The evening will begin from 19.00 BST.