Deafblindness
It's not always possible to treat the underlying causes of deafblindness, but a range of care and support servicesis available to help peoplewith the condition.
Most deafblind people will still have some hearing and/or vision. The level of care and support they need will depend onhow severe their hearing and vision problems are.
The individual abilities and needs of a deafblind person should be assessed soon after they're diagnosed. This will allow a tailored care plan to be drawn up.
The care plan will aim to:
Some of themain services, techniques and treatmentsthat may be recommended as part of a care plan are outlined below.
As deafblindness can make communicating by speech and writing difficult, alternative forms of communication may be necessary.
The main communication systemsused by deafblind people include:
For somedeafblind people, it may be possible to improve vision using low vision aids, such as glasses, magnifying lenses and task lights.
Specially designed items, such as telephones and keyboards, may also help someone who is visually impaired.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has more information about everyday living with vision loss ,including advice about the technology availableto help with everyday tasks.
Many libraries stock a selection of large-print books and 'talking books', where the text is read aloud and recorded onto a CD. The RNIB also offer a talking book subscription service , where books can be ordered and delivered directly to your home for a small annual fee.
Some deafblind people may benefit from wearing a hearing aid . There are various hearing aid styles available to suit different types of hearing loss and personal preference.
Hearing aids use microphones to collect the sound from the environment, amplify it and deliver it into the ear canal of the wearer so that it can be processed by the auditory system. An audiologist (hearing specialist) will be able to recommend the most suitable type of aid after testing your hearing.
For some people, hearing aids that deliver the sound into the ear canal are not appropriate. In these cases, hearing may be improved using a surgically implanted hearing system, such as a cochlea implant or bone conducting hearing implant.
While these still use a microphone to collect the sound initially, they then covert that sound into either an electrical signal or vibration, passing it to the inner or middle ear for processing by the auditory system.
Every deafblind person is entitled to help from aspecially trained one-to-one support worker if they need it.
Depending on the person's situation, this may be a:
Some conditions that affect hearing and vision can be treated using medication or surgery. For example:
Somecauses of temporary hearing loss are also treatable, such as a build-up of earwax or middle ear infections .
Read about deafblindness, a condition in which a person has a combination of sight and hearing difficulties that affect their everyday activities.
Find out about the signs that could suggest someone is deafblind, or that they may be gradually losing their sight or hearing.
Read about the main causes of deafblindness, including problems that can be present from birth and those that can develop later on.
Read about how deafblindness is diagnosed, including about the specialist assessment that should be carried out to determine the type of care a deafblind person needs.
Read about the treatment and support available for deafblind people, including alternative communication methods and vision aids.