Gerald is grateful for the ‘gift of sound’

A NEWTOWNSTEWART man has been given the ‘gift of sound’ and a new lease of life thanks to the support of a hearing loss charity.

Losing his hearing left 63-year-old Gerald O’Goan feeling isolated and frustrated as he struggled to communicate with friends and he could no longer listen to music.

This all changed when he contacted Action on Hearing Loss after his sister picked up a leaflet at a local information stand.
Gerald was visited by an information officer from Action on Hearing Loss, who encouraged him to visit his GP.

The charity also recommended a personal listening device to use while he waited for an audiology appointment, which was “a massive step forward”.

As a result of the intervention Gerald was referred to audiology and fitted with two hearing aids.

He said, “Before my hearing deteriorated I loved music and enjoying myself, but I found that I was turning away from that altogether; I didn’t want to go out. I had to learn to read people’s lips, when I was in groups and on TV. It was very stressful and gradually in time I began to isolate myself.

“I found it very hard to have conversations with people because I wasn’t hearing what they were saying to me properly, the sound was there but it wasn’t as clear. I felt like I was going into the dark ages.”

“Because of support from Action on Hearing Loss I’ve learned about a lot of help that I didn’t know was out there.

“It’s opened up a whole new world to me. I’m hearing many wonderful sounds that I wasn’t hearing before. I can sit down now and put the TV on and hear things. I’m not stressed anymore; I’m able to have a conversation with my sisters, my neighbours and my friends. I feel more comfortable and happier – I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Gerald was one of 13,000 people who live in the Western Trust area to benefit from the charity’s ‘Hear to Inform and Connect’ project to combat social isolation.

In total 25,000 older people in rural communities across the North are now more informed and empowered on how to tackle hearing loss thanks to an information outreach service provided by Action on Hearing Loss.

• To contact Action on Hearing Loss, call 028 9023 9619 or email information.nireland@hearingloss.org.uk