Jim O’Rourke, an 82-year-old resident of Newcastle, received recognition at the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson’s Awards for his volunteering efforts with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

O’Rourke has worn hearing aids for more than 30 years and volunteered for 13 years repairing devices at clinics and care homes. He visits residential homes to fix residents’ hearing aids. Clinics served include those in Newcastle, Downpatrick, Ballynahinch, Kilkeel, Newry, Rathfriland, and Banbridge across the South Eastern Trust and Southern Trust areas.

O’Rourke stated that audiology services excel in diagnosis and provision of hearing aids but give insufficient attention to maintenance, especially for elderly users. He noted a tendency among hearing-impaired individuals toward withdrawal and disengagement.

In one case, he repaired discarded hearing aids for a resident in her late 80s who had stopped communicating for weeks. After the repair, she sat up and spoke to staff.

Most hearing aids use digitally adjusted sound delivered through thin plastic tubing fitted to the user’s ear. Other types include open fit with a thin tube and soft ear bud, or receiver in canal with a miniature speaker in the ear bud connected by thin wire.

Repairs often require replacing tubing from processor to ear. O’Rourke said the Southern Trust supplies open fit and wax guard replacements to RNID organisers, but the South Eastern Trust does not. This creates situations where parts unavailable in Newcastle or Ballynahinch can be obtained in Kilkeel.

Initially, O’Rourke received a full open fit replacement kit and performed those repairs for four years until 2017. Volunteers now cannot conduct open fit repairs, and users must contact audiology directly for parts.