THE service provider for deaf people in Cheshire has joined the University of Manchester to launch a new study with revolutionary hopes.

The Deafness Support Network (DSN), based in London Road, has partnered with the university for a two-year study into the assessment for dementia for people with hearing and vision impairments.

It is hoped that NHS tests for dementia – currently carried out verbally – could get an overhaul as a result of the project, conducted by DSN research fellow Dr Jenna Littlejohn and Dr Piers Dawes, senior lecturer in audiology at the University of Manchester.

Dr Littlejohn said: “It’s really important that sensory impairment is taken into account as part of the diagnostic process.

“At the moment, even though NICE guidelines say to take sensory impairment into account, they do not state how this should be done.

“We want to help those with a sensory loss get diagnosed correctly so that they can receive the appropriate help.”

Currently, verbally-administered cognitive tests are carried out on people displaying symptoms of dementia, which include memory loss and difficulties with attention, problem-solving or language.

But hearing or visual loss may impact performance on these cognitive tests, leading to misdiagnosis.

Over the next two years Dr. Littlejohn will work with clinicians, carers, families of patients and those under assessment for dementia in Cheshire and Manchester.

Dr Dawes said: “We’re grateful for the support from Deafness Support Network for this project and look forward to important results that will improve memory services for people with sensory impairment.”

The DSN provides services to adults and children who are deaf.

nFor more information about the study and its progress, you can download the DSN app on your phone. Search for ‘Deafness Support Network’ on your app store on your device.