Information for social services

Too many older people who are deafblind miss out on the support they need. The Fill in the Gaps campaign aims to change this.

The majority of deafblind people in the UK are older people who have developed hearing and sight loss in later life. Often this hearing and vision loss comes on very gradually. Older people themselves, and others around them, may not recognise or understand what is happening.

Fill in the Gaps aims to provide information to staff working with older people to help them recognise dual sensory loss and understand how this can affect a person’s life and the support they need. The term ‘deafblind’ refers to a combined hearing and sight loss; most deafblind people have some hearing and vision. Deafblind people are entitled to a specialist assessment. It is important that staff working with older people understand what is meant by deafblindness and how to recognise it.

A range of information aimed at social services in England and Wales is available below.