Living Better with Deafness or Hearing Loss

Transcription

1 Living Better with Deafness or Hearing Loss GGMD stands for Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg en Maatschappelijke Dienstverlening (Mental Health Care and Social Services). We help people who are deaf or have hearing problems, and their families, by providing advice, therapy, training courses and other forms of support. These services are available at various locations throughout the Netherlands.

2 GGMD for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing People sometimes have problems they can t solve themselves. We help. We provide individual assistance and support and offer group training courses. For the deaf, people with hearing problems and the people around them. Our professional staff can communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. gives all information in Dutch sign language. For whom? GGMD helps adults and children with: - early deafness - sudden deafness - late deafness - deaf-blindness - hearing impairment - tinnitus - Ménière s disease - hyperacusis - a cochlear implant (CI)

3 GGMD also helps people who can hear and have someone who is deaf or hard of hearing in their daily environment. For example parents, children, colleagues and people who work with the deaf or hard of hearing. We help with daily activities We help with questions or problems in daily life, such as: Questions about relationships, children and loneliness For example the relationship with your partner or family, raising a family, and making contact with other people.

4 Questions about work - If you are out of work for a long time. - If you have to change jobs because of your hearing problem. - If you find it difficult to apply for jobs. - If you have problems at work. Questions about your hearing problem - Worried because your hearing is getting worse? - Want to know what kinds of aids are available? - Need information about tinnitus? - Need help with emotions when a CI is fitted? Questions about things like: - Your rent, benefits, insurance, or problems with authorities. - Money and money management. - Living independently and staying that way. - How to find a place to live.

5 We also help with mental health problems (GGz) Everyone can feel a bit down or tense, be scared of something, worry, or eat too much. Usually this feeling passes or gets less with time. But sometimes that doesn t happen and a person needs help. If you are deaf or have a hearing problem, GGMD can help you. We know about mental health issues and are able to communicate with you. Children and teenagers who are deaf or hard of hearing and have (behavioural) problems can be helped through research and treatment. For example in cases involving trauma, ADHD, autism, toilet training problems, learning problems at school, problems in contact with other people, anxiety attacks etc. Sometimes people have serious psychological problems. Maybe they hear voices, go off into a rage, are too scared to go out, or feel so down that they don t see any point in living. Treatment is aimed at seeing how symptoms and problems can be reduced so that life becomes good again. Communicating well together is very important in this process. GGMD care workers can do that.

6 Communication courses GGMD organises various communication courses, such as communication using gestures, lip reading and braille. For more information on our communication courses see All GGMD group courses in the coming months are listed on the activity calendar of our website. For example: skills training, courses related to work, courses on living with a certain type of hearing problem etc. The communication courses are not listed here because these are courses for individuals (perhaps together with a partner, family of friends). People who understand you Our staff are trained in their profession. They know what it is to be deaf or hard of hearing. Some of them are even

7 deaf or hard of hearing themselves. Others can imagine what it is like through their work and experience. Our staff can communicate with you. They talk clearly, can use gestures or can arrange for a sign language interpreter or a speech-to-text reporter. They are also used to the world of the deaf. OORzaken for advice on hearing aids Would you like information and advice on hearing aids? Visit GGMD OORzaken. Take your time to see and try out all the aids on offer. Our specialists are glad to help. They give independent advice; to purchase aids they refer you to the supplier. The address of GGMD OORzaken is Büchnerweg 3, Gouda. Call to make an appointment on (free calls). Unable to get there? Then one of our specialists might be able to come to you.

8 NC PLD NC PLD stands for the Dutch Centre for Sudden and Late Deafness. This national information and knowledge centre helps people with sudden deafness and late deafness and their families in finding good care, assistance and information. NC PLD is part of GGMD. For more information, send an to: Cost If you register with GGMD for care, a training course or support, you will be given information about the cost and how this can be paid. For example, perhaps the cost will be covered by your health insurance company, your local authority, your employer, you (partly) or another party. We know what is possible and will help you apply for reimbursement. Contact GGMD for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing tel (free) text mail contact@ggmd.nl chat workdays from to hrs via Contact page GGMD is available on workdays from 8.30 to hrs. Also in crisis situations. GGMD has locations throughout the Netherlands. See Contact page to find out which location is closest to you. If it is difficult for you to visit a location, we may be able to come to you. At you can find more information about our services. Also in Dutch sign language.