Barry's volunteering story: hands-on help that matters

Barry, a lorry driver from Somerset, has been volunteering with the RNID for more than a year, supporting care home residents with practical hearing aid help. Having experienced hearing loss himself from the age of 40, Barry understands the challenges that come with adjusting to hearing aids and navigating everyday communication. His personal journey also inspired him to learn British Sign Language (BSL), deepening his connection to the deaf community and leading him to discover a passion for volunteering.

"My tutor advertised the RNID volunteer role on her website, and I thought I’d apply. I wasn’t really looking to start volunteering, but it sort of found me. I’m a lorry driver and I’m not technically au fait, but I can fix things and I’m open to new experiences so I thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’”

"What I do with RNID is go into the community – usually care home settings – and have a chat with people. We’ll have a cup of coffee and a biscuit – even better if it’s a chocolate one – and I fix their hearing aids up at the same time.

"I unblock or change the tubes, give the hearing aids a clean up and change the batteries. It can be really fiddly, especially for older people who may have lost a bit of dexterity, so I’m there to help them out with it.

"Something that often happens is that the microphone gets clogged up with hairspray. There is such a simple fix – brushing the area lightly with a toothbrush – meaning that person has some hearing again. Sometimes, I’ll explain to people how to change the settings. It’s amazing to see the difference that short time can make.

"Residents in the care homes are always so happy to see us, and I have a lovely chat with them as well as fixing their hearing aids. I’m usually with each person for about quarter of an hour and you get a lot of information in that time. There was one woman who told me her full medical history and all about her grandchildren!

"I’m not sure what people like most about us coming – getting their hearing aids fixed or the company. Maybe it’s a bit of both.

"Everybody’s happy to see you and I drive away with a good feeling that I’ve done something, even a small amount, to help somebody. And it’s cost me a couple of hours.

"The beauty of volunteering for me is that I can do something really hands-on to help. When I started, there was quite a lot of training. You can’t just go around looking at people’s hearing aids!

"I didn’t know much about audiology, but we had several sessions at Taunton Hospital, learning about how the ear works as well as how hearing aids operate. I like to learn new things, and I found that fascinating.

"During my training, we saw an elderly gentleman who was completely deaf in one ear. His hearing aid had stopped working two weeks earlier and he had no hearing on that side at all. The lady who I was doing the training with had to fix his hearing aid to be able to ask him how it broke! It turned out to be as simple as wax build up in the tubes. I remember the look of joy on his face – he was so happy to be able to hear again.

"That’s when I realised what a difference this work can make for people.

"It took him two weeks to get an appointment, and he had to come on the bus, struggling to communicate without his hearing. A lot of older people can’t get to appointments like that, so the care home sessions are really important.

"I always come away feeling better and I like to think that I’ve left the residents in a better position as well. It’s a win win."

If you would like to volunteer for the RNID like Barry or explore other volunteering opportunities, click the link below.