Sensory impairment
How we can help
If you have sight or hearing loss we will aim to help you, and those who help look after you (carers), to live as independently as possible in your own home.
Our Visual Impairment Team assist individuals with sight loss to participate in the activities of daily life. We do this by modifying the person’s environment or supporting individual rehabilitation programmes that promote independence. In promoting independence, we also aim to reduce the need for ongoing support.
We will do a specialist assessment of your ability and needs. The assessment generally takes place at home but can also be at work, school, day centre or another residential establishment. It takes into consideration your physical, social and cultural needs and those of your carer.
We can help with:
- support and advice on managing and maintaining independent living
- explaining new methods of carrying out daily living activities and training sessions to ensure competence with these techniques
- training to learn a new skill to promote independence such as mobility training
- the development of support plans to assist independence
- referring or signposting to other services that will benefit you
We can also advise or prescribe:
- equipment to assist with living independently
- minor adaptations to be carried out within the home such as grab rails, key safes and assistive technology products
- major adaptations such as a ramp or lighting changes
How others can help
- Northamptonshire Association for the Blind - the leading provider of specialist advice, support and information if you are suffering from sight loss
- Specsavers - if you are not able to get to the opticians due to a physical or mental disability, Specsavers offer a free home eye test
- Deafconnect - if you have hearing loss, Deafconnect aim to empower you to achieve your full potential and become a fully included member of the community
- Hearing dogs - Hearing dogs are trained dogs that can help you recognise sounds like the doorbell, alarm clocks and even danger signals like the fire alarm
How to get support
We can give you information, advice and guidance to help you remain independent. Where you may require additional help we can assess you to see if you have eligible needs or to review your current care package.
Last updated 11 April 2023