Day Three – Deaf Senior Citizens
The global population is increasingly ageing, and D/deaf people are a part of this trend. Some D/deaf senior citizens live in care centres and nursing homes where they can enjoy the companionship of other D/deaf people and with staff who use sign language. However, many others are isolated in places which do not provide services in sign language. As a result, D/deaf senior citizens do not benefit from their fundamental right to receive information and services in their national sign language. Truly inclusive environments for D/deaf seniors should ensure access to information and social settings in sign languages. Public authorities must ensure all information destined for senior D/deaf citizens is accessible in their national sign language and service providers have fluent sign language skills for D/deaf senior citizens to be given the same opportunities as others.
In some countries, D/deaf seniors also have their own organisations and clubs.
In the Waikato area, there are many D/deaf elderly people living isolated or living with their husband/wife while their children moved away in the new pastures. Currently, one Deaf elderly man – Leslie, is living next to his daughter and her family, so she does not have to worry too much about her father, who is over 85 years. Leslie also has got two Deaf brothers, one Deaf uncle and a Deaf sister in law. Leslie and his brothers plus his uncle went to the same Deaf school – Titirangi School for the Deaf and they moved to Kelston Education for the Deaf for many years. They made many Deaf friends through Deaf Clubs around New Zealand in the past, but not now. One of their Deaf friends – Jacek is living as an independent in his own home, but Jacek received home support help through CCS where I come into that area. I am a deaf specialist support worker for Jacek by CCS. Other friends which Edward in the video, has deaf parents and he said many elderly Deaf people need help, support and receiving information through anyone who can sign language. Note in the video there is automatic caption, but it is not accurate due to the sound of speech over the technology. https://youtu.be/8u-yDmYkgv8
In the past, there was a Deaf club for I remember and one of the elderly persons was my great grand aunt Flossie who was deaf. She does not sign, only to lip-read and speak where she learnt at Sumner School for the Deaf down in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Flossie and Deaf people, including the support of their parents, ran the Deaf Club in Waikato in the past. The club was famous, and Deaf members including their children went to camps, bbq, involved in sports, funding raising for the club, participate in games such as Commonwealth Games, and many other activities. They always keep in touch by visiting, faxes and writing letters until the new technology came along. Not all of them (Deaf elderly) were introduced to new technology such as mobile or skype, social media until staff or a family member came along to show them. A few of my Deaf elderly people of Waikato area, enjoying using mobile through texting and Jacek prefer faxes only.
There are few Deaf churches and a few numbers of Deaf Clubs around New Zealand today and it is not the same as in the past due to lack of funding resources and a high number of young Deaf people choose differently and moving away from the Deaf elderly’s interest.
There has been talking about having a Deaf Retirement village with Deaf staff or staff who have sign language skill. Not everyone was keen on that because of the location, the need for funding to run the retirement village, and it is too far away from their families and grandchildren.
My responsibilities are to visit them regularly and to ensure they receive any information from the community, the council, Health/Hospital, Deaf Aotearoa National Office and their well-being in their own homes. The age group is from 65 years to 92 years old (Note these age group of Deaf people livees around Waikato area).
