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NOW HEAR THIS! NEWS
Bosses make life easier – and harder – for carers
CARERS juggling work with looking after a loved one are doing better or worse – depending who their boss is. While some employers have become more understanding of caring as a result of the pandemic, others continue to have little appreciation of the difficulties involved, a new report shows. A study from Carers UK shows three quarters of working carers worry about continuing to juggle work and care, and four in five feel tired at work because of the demands of their unpaid caring role. Six out of 10 had given up opportunities at work because of caring responsibilities. On the plus side, one in three working carers said their employer had become much more understanding of caring during the pandemic. However, a quarter said their employer was not understanding. Carers UK chief Helen Walker said: “There is more employers can do to support carers. “They can throw workers a lifeline like flexible working and Carer’s Leave that is not only supportive for carers, but makes good business sense. “Leading good practice employers have demonstrated that supporting carers and providing greater flexibility is not only desirable, it’s also very doable.”
Find YOUR local Carers Centre – p19
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022
Call for annual hearing tests is loud and clear
H
EARING experts are demanding free annual tests for everyone over 55.
The urgent call for Government-funded tests comes as research shows the number of hearing loss sufferers doubles between the ages of 49 and 59. “Many people don’t realise the effect that hearing loss can have on their lives and may be living with hearing loss and its comorbidities for several years before it is recognised,” said Paul Surridge, chairman of
www.alltogethernow.org.uk
the British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association “Systemic change is required whereby we see it as part of our routine healthcare to go for an annual hearing test. “This is especially important in the older population who are more likely to develop hearing loss and suffer from its comorbidities.” Hearing loss is a risk factor that can contribute to cognitive decline, falls in older people, and mental health problems. It can affect independence, create employment difficulties, and make people feel
isolated and less inclined to communicate with friends and family, leading to loneliness and depression. Tests can pick up hearing loss at an early stage allowing it to be treated and monitored. Regular hearing tests can be used to assess any further deterioration and treatments can be adapted as appropriate. You can get free hearing tests on the NHS, but you need to self-refer through your GP – they aren’t given as standard. There are high street providers who will test our hearing for free too.
‘Dwarfism gags done the right way’ TV comedy Family Guy has won praise for challenging “stereotypes of dwarfism” in a new study. The animated series has long courted controversy for its near-theknuckle humour, and has been the target of numerous taste and decency complaints. But Dr Erin Pritchard, a lecturer in Disability and Education at Liverpool Hope University, believes it sets an example for others to follow – because it pokes fun at outdated social attitudes, rather than making disabled people the butt of gags. Dr Pritchard, who was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, argues: “In all scenes included in this analysis, the characters with dwarfism were portrayed in an ordinary manner, often partaking in everyday activities and part of society.
PRAISE: Dr Pritchard
“They were not portrayed in any tokenised manner akin to dwarfism, such as being humorous or mythical. “The characters with dwarfism were not perceived as childlike or humorous, but rather other characters perceived them as such to make an implicit joke indicating that society’s perception of and interactions with people with dwarfism was the crux of the joke.” Dr Pritchard added: “Humour has the potential to expose common social attitudes experienced by people with dwarfism in society. This can help to educate people about dwarfism.”
