UNIVERSITY College London are running a project to see if they can get support for older people with hearing loss struggling with video calls during lockdown.

A spokesman said: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a huge increase in the use of video calls as a way to stay connected with others and improve wellbeing.

"Staying connected is especially important for people aged 70 and above who have been advised to self-isolate for long periods of time.

"There are serious concerns about the negative impact of the pandemic and lockdown on mental health, and, in particular, on older people’s mental health.

"Hearing loss adds to the risk of being feeling isolated and lonely due to the impact of hearing difficulties on social interactions, and so, finding ways to communicate remotely with others is vitally important.

"Although there has been a marked increase in video calling during lockdown, for those with hearing loss, technology may not be ideal.

"Lack of confidence in using technology, or lags between audio and video and sound distortion can make hearing speech difficult and lip reading impossible and may increase frustrations.

"A team at UCL are finding out how and to what extent older people with hearing loss have been using video calls, focusing on ease or difficulty of use and any effects on feelings of loneliness and isolation."

Take part in the national UCL survey

The UCL team would love you to take part, whether you use video calls frequently or hardly at all and whether you love them or loathe them (or something in between).

You can complete the survey online or, if you prefer, ask for a paper copy in the post. It should take roughly half an hour.

There will also be a small number of in-depth interviews to find out more detail about people’s experiences; you can volunteer for an interview via the survey.

All respondents can choose to be entered into a prize draw to win one of two £50 shopping vouchers.

If you’re interested, and over 70 with some level of hearing loss, please go to www.ucl.ac.uk/ear/news/2020/nov/research-video-calls-and-hearing-loss.

If you’d like any more information, you can email ear.vcp@ucl.ac.uk.

Although there has been a marked increase in video calling during lockdown, for those with hearing loss, technology may not be ideal.

They are looking for people 70+ with hearing loss to fill out a survey to help with their research.

If you’re interested, please email ear.vcp@ucl.ac.uk or phone 02076798904.