SSAFA helps veteran feel ‘part of society again’ in time for Christmas

05 December 2023

Portsmouth veteran, Elizabeth Phillips, has struggled with her hearing for years, but was unable to afford the specialist hearing aids she needed to be able to go about her daily life. SSAFA was able to help.

Mrs Phillips served in the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) in the 1960s and for most of her service she was attached to the Royal Signals. She has two daughters and several grandchildren from whom she has been isolated for years as she was unable to converse on the telephone or over the internet because she could not hear well enough.

Mrs Phillips said: “The new hearing aids will mean I can talk to my daughters and grandchildren. I am excited to see how they will give me the ability to be part of the world once more. I have not been part of society for many years due to deafness, so hopefully I can become a useful member of society again.

“I am extremely grateful to SSAFA.”

Mrs Phillips has already started to engage more with her community, joining a crafts workshop and attending a Christmas party, which she was previously not confident enough in her hearing to do. SSAFA offers lifelong help to veterans, service personnel, and their families and relies on volunteer caseworkers, who undergo extensive training.

Jonathan Lloyd, SSAFA Portsmouth Caseworker, said: “Assisting Mrs Phillips with her new hearing aids was a very rewarding experience and it is wonderful to hear how much of a difference a relatively small amount of assistance can make to people’s lives.”