Cardiff City Council are spending less money on people with hearing disabilities, according to a hearing loss charity.
Action on Hearing Cymru say the council spent 38% less on specialist equipment between 2010 and 2015 – because not enough people know what’s available.
The charity says in 2010 the council spent almost £20,000 on specialist equipment. In 2015 the figure had dropped to less than £13,000.
There are almost 60,000 people in Cardiff who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Social Services are responsible for buying equipment which can help them live independent lives.
This includes things like flashing doorbells and modified telephones.
Bob Lewington was nine years old when doctors discovered he was hard of hearing. He says he’s benefited from the council’s services.
He says “You can buy equipment, but it is expensive. It helps me and it can help others, but they need to be aware.”
But Action on Hearing Loss Cymru says not enough people know about these services.
Llyr Wilson Price, the Campaign Officer from the charity said “It can be quite hard living with hearing loss. People tend to get more withdrawn and isolated from the outside world.
“Cardiff Social Services need to make sure that everybody who does have hearing loss in Cardiff knows that they have this service and that they can be assessed to see if they need things like a loop system into their television.”
He added: “People are entitled to claim it, but not enough people in Cardiff know that.”
The Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Wellbeing, Councillor Susan Elsmore said: “We have maintained a consistent level of funding for the past three years.
“Expenditure has fallen because there has been a reduction in the take-up for our service, alongside the successful work we have carried out to reduce costs.”
