Military Service:
Mr Ralph Irwin served in the Army Irish Guards from 1988 till 2004 and he was exposed to noise during this time.
I joined the Army at 16 years old and served in the Balkans, N Ireland, and the Middle East on operations. My hearing has suffered a lot through gun shots and explosions to the point that I have scarring, tinnitus and hearing loss.
Ralph’s Daily Struggles:
- When he is in background noise it is a struggle to hear conversations
- He suffers with constant ringing in his ears, and struggles to sleep due to this
- People need to be loud and clear when they are talking to him
- feels a great deal of frustration due to his hearing and tinnitus, which gets him down
Hearing Assessment:
It was assessed the Mr Irwin has Bilateral noise induced sensorineural hearing loss, and was recommended the Starkey Livio AI 2400 to support him with his hearing needs and the environments he struggles within. Ralph was assessed by Flemming & Klingbeil GmbH & Co. KG based in Berlin Germany. Mr Irwin will now continue to receive an aftercare service with them.
Outcome:
I reached out to various Organisations for help but have been unsuccessful until I came across the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation, especially the help from Chloe Johnston she and all them at the foundation have been very professional, helpful and really cared about helping me. I now have been fitted with the newest hearing aids which have made a big difference in improving my hearing, and masking my tinnitus.
I would like to thank Chloe and all at the Hearing Foundation very much for the excellent support they have given me,thanks.
The UK Veterans Hearing Foundation would like to show gratitude to the Veterans Foundation (Veterans Lottery) for exceptional funding that has allowed us to improve Mr Irwin’s life in the dire times of COVID-19
