Older deaf Canberrans struggle to find Auslan-fluent health workers

The ACT government conducted an inquiry into deaf services in 2023, with some in the community worried about a lack of action on recommendations.

Transcript

00:00A regular doorbell is of little use in a deaf person's home.

00:09For Christine Yerbery, who lives alone, a fall detector that works by making a phone call is similarly useless.

00:18But getting her hands on a text-based alternative has been challenging.

00:23She's been waiting for an assessment with an occupational therapist since October last year,

00:29but has been told there are no Canberra-based providers who sign.

00:33In the meantime, she's had several falls.

00:37I have the steps outside the apartment here and I've fallen several times.

00:43She's not alone in her fears about getting older in a hearing world.

00:47A group of other deaf seniors regularly meet around Canberra.

00:51We struggle with all sorts of, you know, getting support workers, getting information in Auslan.

01:0171-year-old Anne Madden is worried about her future.

01:05Her husband is also deaf and has been diagnosed with dementia.

01:09I need to, you know, I need to follow him around.

01:13Sometimes he forgets to turn taps off, leaves the shower running.

01:17And plus he can't hear that the water's still running or he'll leave the fans running

01:21because he can't hear that they're still on.

01:23Earlier this year, she discovered that moving her husband to a nursing home in Canberra isn't an option.

01:30The people who work there had no experience with deaf people and signing deaf people and that really concerned me.

01:43I couldn't imagine me putting my husband into a facility like that.

01:47It would increase his isolation many fold.

01:51Australia's largest Auslan service provider, Deaf Connect, agrees Deaf Canberrans are under-supported.

01:57Members of the deaf community simply want care they can understand.

02:03Ideally it would be wonderful if we actually employ deaf people who have aged care qualifications to work in these facilities.

02:12A community that doesn't want to be left behind.