The Deaf Elderly: Inclusion, Participation and Social Care

Funded by

Inhalt

1. Initial Situation: Project SIGMA– goals– methods– results– consequences

2. Project GIA– goals– levels of action

InhaltUniversity of CologneFaculty of Human SciencesDepartment of Special Education and Rehabilitation

Prof. Dr. Thomas Kaul Frank Menzel (†) Anne Gelhardt Nele Büchler

Project SIGMA: Situation of Deaf Elderly People2006 - 2009

Customer

•

Research Objectives: SIGMA

• Exploration of the living conditions and individual resources of elderly Deaf people

• Eamination of Quality and Quantity of services and measures for elderly Deaf people– Information and Consulting– Health Care– Living in old age– Education and leisure options– Supply by care needs and dementia

Who was surveyed?

Target groups Methods

Deaf people aged 55 and over Qualitative interviewswith approx.. 40 persons

Experts, who have contact to elderly Deaf people

- Open single and groupinterviews- Written survey (Internet)

Institutions and organisations, who counsell and consult elderly Deaf people

- Nursing and retirement homes (representative survey)- Specific living supplies for elderly Deaf people für gehörlose (total survey)

Results: resources• The family network is not highly meshed.

• The is a close network with the Deaf community.

• The Deaf community is active! (senior clubs, consulting, information, volontary and honorary work,...)

• If mobility is reduced, the contact and access to the Deaf community is very difficult or impossible.

• Elderly Deaf people are more isolated.

Results: Access to information

• Deaf people are not well informed about supply, offers and legal claims and rights.

• General information are not accessible.• Specific Information in sign language is rare.

Results: Knowledge in institutions

• Healthcare professionals are not well informed about the specific and communicative needs of elderly Deaf people.

• This lack of knowledge leads to a not appropriate care.• Legal claims and rights will not be exercised.

Results: Healthcare

• There are only some specific offers and supply for elderly Deaf people, which take the specific needs into account.

• In most cases there is no possibility to get a specific and appropriate healthcare.

• Itis always hard for Deaf people to make decisions to stay where they live – without specific support – or to go to an institution (in another town) where they get an appropriate supply

What must be done?

Recommanded actions

1. Structural development: Extension of specific offers and networks

2. Information, explanation and awareness3. Quality management: Qualification and

standardisation

Pilot project GIA: (The Eldery Deaf)Competence Center for Elderly Deaf People (with Dementia)

Auftraggeber

Goals

Improving the supply and support for eldery Deaf People (with dementia)• Better access to general offers for elderly peoply• Expansion of the specific offers and supply for

elderly Deaf people

Content

• Design, testing and evaluation of two competence centres

• Development of information material

• Creating recommendations of action

Competence centres

Design, testing and evaluation of two competence centres

Competence Centres: Target Groupes

• Elderly Deaf people• Relatives and other related persons of elderly Deaf

people• Institutions, professionals und associations health

and nursing care• Institutions, professionals und associations of the

Deaf

Kompetenzzentren: Leistungen

Beratung und Vermittlung

Information und Aufklärung

Vernetzung und Entwicklung

ConsultingExamples:

• Support to find appropriate offers (i.e. healthcare, nursing, ....)

• Consulting of institution, which want to set up a specific offer for Deaf people.

InformationExamples

• Organizing and performing of informatin events for elderly Deaf people:

• How will I live in old age?• What is a patient decee?• What is dementia?

• Collectiong and developing of appropriate information material

Development and Networks

Support examples:

• Planning, design and implementation of trainings for Deaf volunteers(i.e. accompainment of Deaf people with dementia)

• Planning, design and implementation of specific offers for elderly Deaf people (i.e. sign language based).

Challenges

In times of resource shortages it is very difficult to convince politicians to support and - last but not least - to finance necessary competence centres.