The Rotary Club of Ely enjoyed a talk about age-related hearing loss and the Cambridgeshire Deaf Association Hearing Help.

Roger Hill described how loss of hearing can come on gradually and can be unnoticed for some time.

He informed us of the tell-tale signs of deafness, how to hear better in difficult situations, such as crowded rooms and what can be done about it in the way of acquiring hearing aids.

He recommended contacting the NHS if having trouble in hearing for there have been advances in the types of hearing aids which can be extremely effective.

Some can be very sophisticated with built in Bluetooth connections. He said that the RNID also have a free online three-minute test so that you can check your hearing.

He warned that loud noise can affect hearing. He said that if you awake one morning and suddenly find you are deaf in one ear, this could be caused by a virus and that you should go to A and E immediately for if dealt with within 36 hours, a cure can often be found.

The Cambridge Deaf Association Hearing Help has a staff of 4 and 50 volunteers.

It helps maintain hearing aids free of charge and is available in community centres, some libraries and care homes but since the pandemic, is no longer associated with GP surgeries.

Its funding comes from the NHS (25 per cent), Cambridgeshire County Council (25 per cent) and 50 per cent comes from donations.

Some members of the Ely Rotary club are wearing hearing aids themselves and were interested to learn that if you wear a hearing aid you may be able to get a disabled rail card.

Hearing Help can be found in Ely library on the second Tuesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12. p.m.

New members to the Rotary Club of Ely are always welcome. Contact: elyrotary.co.uk