Column: ​Small team is making a big difference to transform lives of Notts residents

​This means working to understand a person’s needs, and providing tailored support or equipment to make sure that they can live independently in their own homes.

This in turn means they are less likely to need longer term social care.

Along with my deputy, Coun Tom Smith and the chairman, Coun Richard Butler, I recently visited the council’s Adult Deaf and Visual Impairment Service (ADVIS) to see how the work it does makes a difference to people’s lives.

ADVIS works with people who have a visual impairment or hearing loss, linking with the deaf community and visually impaired groups through their work.

There are different types of visual impairment, with only four per cent of people being totally blind. In 2022,​

there were 30,400 people living with sight loss in Nottinghamshire. Sight loss has a huge impact on people and leads to isolation, mental ill health and lack of confidence.

After assessing what is needed, ADVIS will provide support such as improving skills to manage household routines like making hot drinks safely, offering training and demonstrations of specialist voice-activated technology, screen reading devices, visual alert systems, and smart phone technology including specialist apps to help people regain their independence.

Colleagues will also help to get people out and about in their area, using equipment such as canes to maximise mobility.

One older lady who lives alone is deaf and has had a silent alert pager system installed which vibrates and this has been linked to her smoke alarm, doorbell and phone.

This means that she can answer calls or the doorbell, she feels much less isolated, and her family has peace of mind.

I heard about other people who had support from ADVIS, and the change to their lives was remarkable.

One comment was received from a lady with visual impairment who had been helped to find a specialist phone and supported to use a cane to go out and catch a bus to her local shops.

She told us: “Without J, (the colleague who provided support) I wouldn’t be able to do it. I have my old life back and I am glad.”

There’s a great deal of expertise, knowledge, passion and commitment among ADVIS colleagues: a small team making a big impact that transforms lives.

For more information or support visit https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/care/adult-social-care/advis