Call for new community volunteers to help people with their hearing aids in Flintshire.

A call has been issued for new community volunteers to help people with their hearing aids in Flintshire.

Volunteers attend a short course of training with the Audiology Service at Wrexham Maelor Hospital and then help out in the community, providing advice and servicing of hearing aids.

Molly and Derek Griffiths from Buckley have been volunteering for seven years with the Audiology Service. They host a monthly drop in session in Parkfields Community Centre in Mold and they make home visits and visits to care homes.

Derek said, “We enjoy doing it and it’s really rewarding seeing people’s faces light up when they haven’t been able to hear and then all of a sudden they can. It’s a welcome back to the world for them.

“They are often people who can’t get out and don’t see many people. Deafness can make you lonely and feel isolated from the real world and it can be a scary world without sound.

“We are the only two volunteers in Flintshire and we would love for there to be more as so many people benefit from this valuable service.”

Current trainee Gwyneth Goodwin said, “There’s a lot to learn on the training but everyone is very supportive and we get all the support and guidance we need to help people.”

Sarah Bent, Principal Clinical Scientist with the Audiology Department spoke of her enthusiasm for the volunteers, “Hearing aids can be quite tricky to get used to and there’s nothing like having time to speak to someone else who knows what it is like themselves.

“These volunteers really add extra value to the service we provide and we would love for even more people to be able to access this.”

The next volunteer training sessions for anyone interested in becoming an Audiology Community Volunteer are on November 30 and December 3.

For more information about becoming a volunteer or accessing the service, please contact the Audiology Department on 01978 725304.