Level 5 Sensory Loss
Sensory Loss
Level 5 Diploma 4/1/13
Jackie Wade
Identify methods for raising awareness of sensory loss:
* A working description of deafblindness that has been accepted over many years, is that persons are regarded as deafblind if their combined sight and hearing impairment cause difficulties with communication. It can be found in all age groups including children but the greatest is in older people. * Having a sight and hearing loss sometimes called dual sensory impaired leads to difficulties in communicating, mobility and impaired people. * Deaf blindness can be due to several causes, such as Ushers Syndrome, Rubella (German measles) and problems caused by premature births. * Deafblind UK report that there are about 24,000 people in the UK who are deaf blind; some are totally deaf and totally blind, other deaf blind people have some hearing and vision. These figures do not take into account the large number of older people who are losing both their sight and hearing. So the number of people with a combined sight and hearing loss could well be as high as 250,000.
There is a lack of awareness of the needs of people with dual sensory loss among the general public, but also within the medical profession and among public service providers. There appears to be no primary method of communication for deafblind people. Therefore services need to be tailored to the communication need of the individual.
“Up to 50% of sight loss can be avoided if detected early enough” (RNIB & Age UK)
Five common causes of sight loss are:
* Age related macular degeneration / ARMD and AMD central vision while side vision remains, Most common sight loss in the UK, AMD occurs when the delicate cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. Wet AMD which can happen quickly but can respond to treatment if caught in early stages, Dry AMD which develops slowly and causes gradual loss of central vision can not be
Level 5 Diploma 4/1/13
Jackie Wade
Identify methods for raising awareness of sensory loss:
* A working description of deafblindness that has been accepted over many years, is that persons are regarded as deafblind if their combined sight and hearing impairment cause difficulties with communication. It can be found in all age groups including children but the greatest is in older people. * Having a sight and hearing loss sometimes called dual sensory impaired leads to difficulties in communicating, mobility and impaired people. * Deaf blindness can be due to several causes, such as Ushers Syndrome, Rubella (German measles) and problems caused by premature births. * Deafblind UK report that there are about 24,000 people in the UK who are deaf blind; some are totally deaf and totally blind, other deaf blind people have some hearing and vision. These figures do not take into account the large number of older people who are losing both their sight and hearing. So the number of people with a combined sight and hearing loss could well be as high as 250,000.
There is a lack of awareness of the needs of people with dual sensory loss among the general public, but also within the medical profession and among public service providers. There appears to be no primary method of communication for deafblind people. Therefore services need to be tailored to the communication need of the individual.
“Up to 50% of sight loss can be avoided if detected early enough” (RNIB & Age UK)
Five common causes of sight loss are:
* Age related macular degeneration / ARMD and AMD central vision while side vision remains, Most common sight loss in the UK, AMD occurs when the delicate cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. Wet AMD which can happen quickly but can respond to treatment if caught in early stages, Dry AMD which develops slowly and causes gradual loss of central vision can not be
References: RNIB and Age UK Booklet “Seeing it from their side” [2011 September) Sense for deafblind people, “The elderly” http://www.sense.org.uk First published Mon 2nd July Updated 22nd march