Ten-year-old Emma’s hearing problems eased thanks to Oxfordshire County Council

Emma Church was struggling to follow her favourite TV programmes or hear her alarm clock or the doorbell until a specialist team at Oxfordshire County Council came to the rescue.

The ten-year-old from Chipping Norton had been diagnosed with moderate hearing loss and the county council’s Sensory Impairment Team has helped transform her life by providing her with some practical equipment.

Following an assessment by Mark Cove, an Equipment Support Worker with Oxfordshire County Council,, Emma was provided with a with a flashing doorbell and vibrating alarm clock. Emma is now setting her alarm clock and waking up independently.

Emma was also provided with a ‘Amplicomm Stethoset’ for the television. The audio lead from this can be plugged directly into the FM receiver giving Emma the choice of how to access the sound (Stethoset or Hearing Aids) even with the television on mute. 

Liz Church, Emma’s mum, said: “ When Emma first put on the Stethoset and was watching TV her exact words to me were, ‘This is the best thing that I have ever had!’. I have said thank you to the county council and Mark Cove for making life a little easier for Emma and for me too!

Councillor Steve Harrod Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children & Families said: “Emma’s story is a joyful one. Our Sensory Impairment team is an example of how the council uses modern equipment to make the lives of people with health difficulties so much better.

“As a council we strive to give every child a good start in life and we certainly hope we’re helping achieve that in Emma’s case.”