Lean on me: How support can help as you fight hearing loss

On your journey to recovery from hearing loss, having support in all areas of your life is essential as you adjust to life with a digital hearing aid.

We can provide expert assistance from our audiologists at free hearing tests in branch but there also needs to be help from friends, family and facilities in the outside world on offer too.

We can explain all your rights and requirements to you while you're here but you need to ensure that you are fully au fait with what to expect when it comes places such as gyms, cinemas and other outdoor places that you may frequent.

The Equality Act 2010 ensures that all people have access to the same rights and it is essential for making sure that those who suffer from deafness or hearing loss can still enjoy activities without pressure or hassle.

So, when it comes to public and private areas, as well as in the workplace, there needs to be systems in place to ensure you, as a hearing aid user, can still enjoy yourself as normally as you would do otherwise.

This should be done by installing systems such as loops and also by making an employee a disability representative to ensure that people have a go-to person for queries and complaints.

If you don't feel that an organisation is fulfilling their duty in this regard then you can, and should, lodge a formal complaint.

Not only will this help to get things changed for you but it will also help other hearing loss sufferers in future. Don't feel that you have to stay quiet and hope for things to change.

You will receive support from friends, family and ourselves here at Leightons, so why should things be any different at other organisations and facilities?

You need help from all areas to combat hearing loss and properly adjust to life with a hearing aid so don't feel as though you are alone.