Barry is a lorry driver who’s been volunteering with RNID in Somerset for over a year. He visits care homes to help residents with practical hearing aid support. Here’s Barry’s story of hearing loss, learning British Sign Language (BSL), and discovering volunteering.
I’ve used hearing aids from the age of 40 but, if I’d lived on my own, it probably would have taken a lot longer for me to realise I had a problem with my hearing.
My partner came home one day and I had the TV volume up at 21. She turned it down to her acceptable level, which was 7, and I couldn’t hear it. So I went to get my hearing checked. It was a bit of a shock to be told that my hearing loss was age-related when I was only 40!
Away in a drawer
I really struggled with hearing aids to begin with and it was probably a couple of years before I started wearing them full-time. I found the noise played tricks with my mind. I remember the first day I got them. I was in a café and I could hear a baby crying in the corner, cutlery being dropped in the kitchen, but I couldn’t hear what my sister-in-law across the table was saying because noise was just coming from everywhere. It was too much, so they went in the drawer.
At first, I used to put them on only when my partner shouted at me because the TV was too loud again. But, over time, my hearing has got worse and now I wear them full-time.
Sometimes, wearing hearing aids still feels like too much, but I’ve had to get used to them and figure out the different settings to focus them on what I want to hear.
Starting something new
My brother has been deaf since he was 18 months old after contracting German measles. It was a different time and hearing aid technology has moved on so much. My brother used Sign Supported English (SSE), and learning BSL is something that I’ve always wanted to do.
I finally got around to it a few years ago and I’m on level 3 now. The grammar and structure of BSL is completely different from English so there’s been a lot to learn.
How volunteering found me
My tutor advertised the RNID volunteer role on her website, and I thought I’d apply. I wasn’t really looking to start volunteering, but it sort of found me. I’m a lorry driver and I’m not technically au fait, but I can fix things and I’m open to new experiences so I thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’”
What I do with RNID is go into the community – usually care home settings – and have a chat with people. We’ll have a cup of coffee and a biscuit – even better if it’s a chocolate one – and I fix their hearing aids up at the same time.
Small fixes, big impact
I unblock or change the tubes, give the hearing aids a clean up and change the batteries. It can be really fiddly, especially for older people who may have lost a bit of dexterity, so I’m there to help them out with it.
Something that often happens is that the microphone gets clogged up with hairspray. There is such a simple fix – brushing the area lightly with a toothbrush – meaning that person has some hearing again. Sometimes, I’ll explain to people how to change the settings. It’s amazing to see the difference that short time can make.
More than just hearing aid support
Residents in the care homes are always so happy to see us, and I have a lovely chat with them as well as fixing their hearing aids. I’m usually with each person for about quarter of an hour and you get a lot of information in that time. There was one woman who told me her full medical history and all about her grandchildren!
I’m not sure what people like most about us coming – getting their hearing aids fixed or the company. Maybe it’s a bit of both.
Everybody’s happy to see you and I drive away with a good feeling that I’ve done something, even a small amount, to help somebody. And it’s cost me a couple of hours.
Hands-on help
The beauty of volunteering for me is that I can do something really hands-on to help. When I started, there was quite a lot of training. You can’t just go around looking at people’s hearing aids!
I didn’t know much about audiology, but we had several sessions at Taunton Hospital, learning about how the ear works as well as how hearing aids operate. I like to learn new things, and I found that fascinating.
Why volunteering matters
During my training, we saw an elderly gentleman who was completely deaf in one ear. His hearing aid had stopped working two weeks earlier and he had no hearing on that side at all. The lady who I was doing the training with had to fix his hearing aid to be able to ask him how it broke! It turned out to be as simple as wax build up in the tubes. I remember the look of joy on his face – he was so happy to be able to hear again.
That’s when I realised what a difference this work can make for people.
It took him two weeks to get an appointment, and he had to come on the bus, struggling to communicate without his hearing. A lot of older people can’t get to appointments like that, so the care home sessions are really important.
I always come away feeling better and I like to think that I’ve left the residents in a better position as well. It’s a win win.
