One of the problems facing residential care services is that of communicating effectively essential information concerning their services and plans with deaf people. Planners and providers of residential care services need to recognise their responsibilities and the rights of deaf people to have full information and access to residential care services available to the community as a whole.

One of the major problems facing deaf people, who are making a decision to move into care, is adapting to their new life, especially if the Care Home is primarily for people with normal hearing.

Information and all communications should be imparted with the knowledge that up to half of the residents may be deaf or have dual sensory loss.

All residential services should follow 'Scottish Best Practice Standards', copies of which may be obtained from SCoD.

All staff should have deaf awareness and deaf blind training and at least one staff member should be encouraged to specialise in the promotion of good practice in relation to matters relevant to deaf people.

All residents, even if they have not been diagnosed as being deaf, should have hearing tests at intervals as recommended by the audiologist.

The support of interpreters with deaf people should be used whenever communication accuracy and confidentiality are important.

Conscious and deliberate communication access should be paramount in the knowledge that deaf people's contact with reality will otherwise be diminished.

Loop systems and other aids to hearing should be fitted and used. Specific advice and guidance from specialist providers of aids to hearing should be pursued.

Visual as well as auditory alarms for all Health and Safety warnings are imperative.

Visual responses to bell pushes should be fitted to all bedrooms of deaf residents and other places such as front doors and ringing telephones.

Due to the lack of communication privacy in public areas, deaf people should have regular opportunities to communicate in private, so that matters of concern do not build up without the opportunity of support.

Assistance in locating any providers of the above services may be obtained from SCoD.

Selected bibliography

Homes are for Living - HMSO

Care Homes for People with Physical and Sensory Impairments - National Care Standards - Scottish Executive

The Deaf Child in Care - Bridget Warr and a British Deaf Association Working Party - discussion series 13