The Press Association has reported that British soldiers whose hearing has been damaged in battle are to be given state-of-the-art devices to reduce their deafness.
Troops are often exposed to loud gun blasts or explosions which are far louder than the noise level of 85 decibels where damage can occur.
But now service personnel who have been medically discharged due to damaged hearing are to be offered new hearing aids to help them back into civilian life.
As well as being given the devices from manufacturer Phonak, troops will also see specialists from the Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals (AIHHP) about their condition.
Kathie Knell, head of welfare at charity Help for Heroes, said: “The new partnership with Phonak and AIHHP is a very positive step which will help a lot of returning troops.
“Addressing hearing loss gives people the ability and confidence to hear clearly and improve their overall quality of life.”
Photo credit: BitBoy via Flickr
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Robert Mandara
September 17, 2012
I must be missing something here. Aren’t soldiers entitled to free hearing aids on the NHS just like anyone else? Are soldiers going to be getting better hearing aids than available on the NHS? Or perhaps this is a way for them to jump the usual long waiting lists?
Tess
September 17, 2012
I would think if you have put your life on the line for your country you should be well looked after, as the wife of a serviceman my husband does get enhanced healthcare to enable him to be back working more quickly if he ever has any health issues.
If soldiers are unable to continue in their current employment, due to hearing damage which has been caused by that employment, i suggest the army has a duty of care to support that soldier, in whatever way the soldier feels he needs, to enable him to return to civilian life as easily as possible. This surely can only be a good thing?
I would expect that of any employer as part of the compensation for the loss of any function previously enjoyed – hearing, sight, the ability to walk, arm movement etc…
Robert Mandara
September 17, 2012
Tess, I agree with you. Especially because hearing loss sustained through service is likely to be sudden rather than gradual and thus much harder to cope with (I understand it can often lead to depression and suicide). What I don’t understand is why the NHS doesn’t automatically fast track these people as they should do.
Tess
September 17, 2012
Sorry Robert, I thought you were being critical with your first comment. I think it would probably be to do with the fact that the NHS can’t be seen to favour any one particular group.
Craig
September 18, 2012
Tess,
The NHS is supposed to provide priority care to veterans for any condition related to their service.
The MOD are responsible for treatment for serving soldiers, prior to discharge. In the recent years, they have improved dramatically – partly thanks to the likes of Help 4 Heroes bringing public attention to the area. Wounded soldiers benefit from physio facilities at Headley Court and state of the art prosthetics. There is very much an ethos of getting them back to health quickly and as fully as they can. This all comes out of the Defence budget, using Defence personnel (sometimes working in NHS facilities).
The problems tend to begin when they leave the Forces: at that point, the NHS and local authorities are supposed to supply any required care and assistance as they would to any other person with disability or long term condition.
Suddenly, where once you would have seen a Defence specialist the next day, you might have to wait weeks to get an NHS appointment with someone who thinks “geriatric” when they see “veteran”, not a young, fit person who has possibly trekked to the North Pole or climbed Everest (physically and mentally) on their prosthetic. Never mind how much the delay affects their quality of life or sets back their recovery.
When they finally do get an appointment, the NHS may not be willingly to repair the prosthetic or have the funds to replace their prosthetic with anything other than a bog-standard NHS model, despite the loss in function and quality of life. This can sometimes trigger a downward spiral. Many become dependent on the Service charities to help them (like in this case).
It’s like the transition from NHS Paediatric Audiology to NHS Audiology for young deaf people.
hearinglink
September 17, 2012
Hearing Link invites veterans with hearing loss to make themselves known to us, to access our services, and to let us know how we can support you better
enquiries@hearinglink.org