Hearing Impairment: Age
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to help reduce public stigma surrounding age-related hearing loss.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
The Government recognises the impact that age-related hearing loss can have on people’s lives, and that the challenges they face can be exacerbated by stigma surrounding the condition.
It is important that people with age-related hearing loss are actively supported and empowered to lead the lives they want for themselves and their families, and NHS England is working with partners to support people in England to age well. In 2017, NHS England published a guide for commissioners and health and social care providers to support older people with hearing loss to maintain health, wellbeing, and independence. This guide is available at the following link:
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also published guidelines, titled Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management, which aims to improve the lives of adults with hearing loss by advising healthcare staff on assessing and managing hearing loss in primary, community, and secondary care settings. This guide is also available at the following link:
The Government recognises the pivotal role that local authorities, and adult social care specifically, play in nurturing local communities and helping people to live as independent and fulfilling lives as possible. We are progressing towards a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and better joined-up services, with over £4 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29.
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