Elderly people waiting years for first hearing aids

ELDERLY residents of Laois and Offaly are being shut out from social and family participation and are having their quality of life dramatically reduced because of the inability of the HSE to provide audiology appointments.

That’s according to the Independent TD for Laois Offaly, Carol Nolan, who has said that she is dealing with cases in which elderly people are waiting years for such appointments, prior to which they cannot be fitted with suitable and personalised hearing aids.

Deputy Nolan went on to say that she has battled with the HSE in the case of one specific constituent who was due to have an audiology appointment in November following a year and a half of interventions by her office, only for the constituent to be informed in the last number of days that it would be “at least another 12 months” until an appointment could be offered.

“It is absolutely heart-breaking to hear elderly couples sitting before you or telling you over the phone through their family members that they are suffering profound levels of isolation because of this crisis in adult audiology,” Deputy Nolan said.

“I, and my staff have to fight every single week for the bare minimum of service provision for these wonderful older people who built up this state through their relentless hard work and commitment.

“The Government can talk all it likes about the ‘big picture’ and its polices for this, that and the other. But the fact remains that they are failing at the things which are, as I say, the bare minimum in terms of people’s expectations from their health service.

“Many of the people I am dealing with simply cannot afford private hearing tests or expensive hearing aids. They are being condemned to ongoing loneliness and social isolation and it is an absolute scandal that needs to be addressed urgently,” the Independent TD concluded.