Including grandparents

When a baby or child is diagnosed with hearing loss, it can be a daunting time for a family, with a lot of information to take in and new things to learn about. This extends of course to grandparents, who are often also caregivers whilst parents are at work. Sometimes however, they might not be able to access the information as readily as the parents.

Whilst all National Deaf Children’s Society information sessions are open to all family members, they recognise the specific need of grandparents and recently held a new session, called ‘Grandparents new to hearing loss’. Attended by 33 grandparents, it included background on understanding hearing loss in children, presented by an audiologist, as well as a talk from a grandparent volunteer, sharing their experiences.

One grandparent explained afterwards: “It is very daunting to learn that your first grandchild, or any grandchild, has some sort of deafness. Today has been a great help in knowing that we are not alone, and that others are in a similar position, and that we can all help each other”.

The online session also discussed how learning, language and communication development can be supported through play, particularly for very young children and how to adapt to their grandchild’s social and emotional needs as they grow. Grandparents were also shown where they can access online forums for further support and to make connections with other grandparents of deaf children, supporting them further when they might otherwise feel alone.

Another attendee said: “The session was really excellent, and it reinforced the fact that our deaf grandson is just as normal as our four other ‘hearing’ grandchildren.”

By supporting Childlife you are helping the National Deaf Children’s Society to continue working with families who need advice and practical help to navigate their child’s deafness and to ensure that all the family can be part of that journey.