• Sedgemoor Lifeline-Our Lifeline service is for vulnerable people, victims of abuse, Hospital discharge and anyone, at any age, that is living alone. Our service enables people to live independently in their own home and gives peace of mind to family and friends. Available in Mendip, North Somerset, Sedgemoor, West Somerset (Somerset).  Tel: 01278 435776
• Lifeline 24  – personal alarms and pendants for the elderly or disabled, people living alone and at risk of falling or in need of reassurance, people suffering from long term illness such as dementia, epilepsy or heart disease. Tel: 0800 999 0400
• Aster Group – monitored home units and pendants to help manage risk and support independence.  Tel: 0333 400 8299

This monthly café is hosted by Health Connections Mendip alongside voluntary sector organisations that will be available to offer support and information. Come along for a cup of tea or coffee to meet other people who are in a similar situation to you. Drop in anytime between 1-30 -3pm. Held at Shepton Mallet Community Hospital alongside the hearing aid maintenance service.

Dates for 2019: 28 Jan, 25 Feb, 25 Mar, April – no clinic, 20 May, 17 June, 15 July, 12 Aug, 9 Sept, 7 Oct, 4 Nov, 2 Dec, 30 Dec

Please note the café will meet on a Tuesday if the monthly Monday falls on a Bank Holiday)

For home eye tests and home hearing tests free on the NHS.

Come along to this friendly, supportive Meniere’s peer support group and meet others who’ve been affected by this condition. Get support and support others. Friends and family members welcome.  

When: Monday 2nd September  Where: Frome Medical Practice BA11 2FH Time: 2:00pm-3.30pm Free

This group runs every three months- please call us for the next date if you miss the next one.

RUH supplied hearing aid – free batteries available from Frome Community Hospital or Priory Health Park Wells. Or from the Audiology Department of RUH. You will need your hearing aid record card or book.

Musgrove Park hearing aid – free batteries from Vine Surgery, Glastonbury Surgery or West Mendip Hospital. You will need your hearing aid record card or book.

If you have an NHS hearing aid supplied by Musgrove Park Hospital you can request a repair appointment by contacting the Audiology Department at Musgrove Hospital. Contact details below or text the word ‘audiology’ followed by your message to 07768-258508

Virgin volunteers hold clinics for those who have hearing aids provided by RUH.
These are held in Frome Medical Practice fortnightly on Thursday morning and in Shepton Mallet on Monday afternoons once a monthly – drop in .

Frome Medical Practice
Fortnightly drop-in sessions on Thursdays 9.30-11am:

Dates for 2019: Jan 3rd, 17th & 31st, February 14th & 28th, March 14th & 28th, April 11th & 25th, May 9th & 23rd, June 6th & 20th, July 4th & 18th, August 1st, 15th & 29th, Sept 12th & 26th, October 10th & 24th, November 7th & 21st, December 5th & 19th.

Shepton Mallet Community Hospital

Monthly drop-in session on Mondays 1-30 -3pm (Tues if Bank Holidays):

Dates for 2019: 28 Jan, 25 Feb, 25 Mar, April – no clinic, 20 May, 17 June, 15 July, 12 Aug, 9 Sept, 7 Oct, 4 Nov, 2 Dec, 30 Dec

Wells Health Centre

Mondays 1pm-3pm booking essential. (Tues if Bank Holidays).

To book for Wells please call 01749-836500.

This leaflet contains information on support organisations for people with hearing loss in Mendip. Click on leaflet below.

Hearing Support Information Leaflet

This monthly cafe is hosted by Health Connections Mendip alongside voluntary sector organisations that will be available to offer support and information. Come along for a cup of tea or coffee to meet other people who are in a similar situation to you. Drop in anytime between 9.30 and 11.30 am. Held at Frome Medical Practice in the Boardroom.

Dates for 2019: Feb 14th, March 14th, April 11th, May 9th, June 6th, July 4th, Aug 1st, Sept 12th. Oct 10th, Nov 7th, Dec 5th.

We train clever dogs to help deaf people. That’s what we do in a nutshell – we train dogs to alert deaf people to sounds they would otherwise miss – simple sounds that many people take for granted like the doorbell, alarm clock and even danger signals like the fire alarm. Being aware of these – thanks to a hearing dog – makes a real difference to deaf people’s lives.

A hearing dog and their deaf recipient need to be carefully matched to ensure the partnership will work well. So many little things need to be taken into consideration – for example, we wouldn’t match a bouncy, bubbly Labrador with a 70-year-old lady with mobility problems. But that Labrador would make a great companion for a fit 35-year-old who loves going out jogging every morning. We take these important lifestyle factors very seriously to ensure we make the right match. Matches can take up to three years. There is so much more to find out so please contact Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Somerset County Council’s sensory loss team are trained to work with people with sight and/or hearing loss. Workers can visit you at home and arrange to provide you with support to help keep you independent. Services include provision of equipment and rehabilitation, along with advice and information on a range of specialist organisations for people with sight and/or hearing loss.

The DeafPLUS Mobile Advisory Service gives advice and information on all aspects of hearing loss. You can find out more information about where our mobile advisory service will be and when by contacting us by phone or email, or go to our website for information on support.

A Communication Skills Group provides an ideal opportunity to practise lipreading skills in a friendly, relaxed and informal setting. You will learn from each other and the tutor those situations and behaviours, which make it challenging to lipread and the strategies you can use to help yourself and others around you. Sharing experiences of living with a hearing loss can be invaluable, as being deaf or hard of hearing can be very isolating. Classes are FREE and take place weekly (during term-time).

Groups are held in Frome, Glastonbury & Castle Cary – For further details contact the tutor Gill Cumming or Deafplus.

Mid Somerset Tinnitus Self Help Group – Wells

This is a self-help group for people with tinnitus which can often be accompanied by hyperacusis. Support groups can be very useful,  at the very least, you learn that you are not alone and can exchange helpful coping strategies. It’s also very useful for family and friends as they will get a much better appreciation of the extent and range of problems. We have a member who is a hearing therapist with tinnitus and we have had visits from other professionals.

We welcome anyone – people with tinnitus, friends, relatives or those who just wish to learn more – to our meetings, which are held quarterly in the evening. We meet in the Wells Fire Station Community Room. Meeting details are available on the British Tinnitus Association website  www.tinnitus.org.uk or by emailing or calling Mike Rowe

Action on Hearing are experts in providing support and information for people with hearing loss and tinnitus. We supply communication services and training. We offer practical advice to help people protect their hearing. We send out leaflets and catalogues. We have a Samaritan trained person to support  people overwhelmed by Tinnitus. For more information about the service, visit our website or call the freephone number below.