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Living Independently Services for people with sensory impairment
Our social work service provides a number of services for people with sensory impairment (visually impaired, blind, hearing impaired, deaf). We work in partnership with other agencies and the health service to provide a range of mainstream and specialist services.
Mainstream social work services may include for example care at home or day care services and are provided to people with a range of different needs.
In addition, social work provides services especially designed to meet the specific needs of people who are blind / deaf or have a visual / hearing impairment.
An assessment of your needs will be carried out to establish which services you require. This is called a community care assessment.
The assessment may be carried out by a social worker, a member of the visual impairment team or by Aberdeen and North East Deaf Society (for people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment).
- Visual impairment services
- Hearing impairment services
- Deafblindness services
- Will I have to pay for services provided?
Visual impairment services
Our visual impairment team provides a full social work, rehabilitation and mobility service to people with a significant sight loss and their carers.
We hold the register of blind and partially sighted people in Aberdeenshire, but our services are not dependent on being registered, and are available to anyone with significant sight loss.
We work in partnership with the health and community care teams, and with colleagues in education, to deliver an effective and integrated service.
We will visit you in your home to offer advice, support and access to a range of equipment to assist you to keep your independence.
Our services include:
- Full assessment of need
- Helping you cope with everyday tasks, such as cooking, housework and personal care
- Demonstration of, and access to, a wide range of resources and equipment
- Training you in independent travel skills
- Providing access to specialist social groups
- Working in partnership with NHS low vision services and opthalmology
- Accessing information in alternative formats
- Easy access to talking books and newspapers
- Helping you maximise reading and writing skills using new equipment and technology
We also provide sensory awareness training in-house and to outside organisations.
Referrals for any of these services can be made to the visual impairment team on:
Tel: 01261 815 784 or 07789 946 643 (mobile)
Or contact your local social work office and ask for the visual impairment team.
Hearing impairment services
We provide a specialist social work service to deaf and hearing impaired people and their families through an agreement with Aberdeen and North East Deaf Society (ANEDS).
ANEDS provides a wide range of support and services and promotes the needs of all groups of people who are affected by deafness:
- deaf
- deafened
- deafblind
- hard of hearing
- those who experience Tinnitus and other associated conditions
Referrals can be made by health or social work, or by self referral to:
Aberdeen and North East Deaf Society (ANEDS)
Aberdeen Office (Headquarters)
13 Smithfield Road
Aberdeen
AB24 4NR
Tel: 01224 494 566 (Voice), 01224 495 675 (Minicom)
Email: info@aneds.org.uk
Deafblindness services
People are considered deafblind if they 'have a severe degree of combined visual and auditory impairment resulting in problems of communication, information and mobility' (Breaking Through Report 1989).
We have an agreement with Deafblind Scotland to provide a guide communicator service. This service can be used to enable deafblind people to participate in local activities, go to college, or visit a friend.
The objective of the service is to:
- promote independence
- provide stimulation
- encourage integration into the community
The guide/communicator acts as the eyes and ears of the deafblind person enabling them to participate in activities otherwise closed to them.
This local service can be accessed by contacting:
Deafblind Scotland
21 Alexandra Avenue
Lenzie
Glasgow
G66 5BG
Tel / text: 0141 777 6111
E-mail: info@deafblindscotland.org.uk
Referrals can be made by health or social work, or by self referral.
Will I have to pay for services provided?
There may be a charge for some services. The amount you will be expected to pay will depend on your income. This will be fully explained to you by the person carrying out you community care assessment before you agree to a particular service. There is no charge for the assessment of your needs or welfare benefit checks.
