When Margaret first came to one of our drop-in sessions at the Brunton Hall, she told our volunteer that she had been avoiding making a GP appointment for nearly four months. Not because she was not worried about her symptoms — she was — but because every time she tried to read the NHS leaflets her surgery gave her, she felt lost before she reached the second paragraph. Medical words, small print, and dense columns of text made her feel as though the health system was not quite meant for her.
This is exactly the gap that Vibrant Health Advocates – Lumen was created to fill. Our read-aloud health guides are designed from the ground up for people who find written text difficult, whether because of dyslexia, low literacy, English as an additional language, or simply a lifetime spent away from books and paperwork. Each guide is written in plain English, structured around short sentences, and recorded by a trained volunteer so it can be listened to as well as read.
The format follows a clear pattern. We start with a single, direct question — something like "What is high blood pressure and why does it matter?" — and then answer it in no more than three short paragraphs before moving on. Technical terms are either avoided entirely or explained immediately in everyday language. A recording of the guide sits alongside the printed version, so a resident can play it through on a mobile phone while following along with the page, or simply listen without reading at all.
Our guides cover the health topics that matter most to people in Musselburgh and the wider East Lothian area: managing long-term conditions like diabetes and asthma, understanding repeat prescriptions, preparing for a hospital appointment, recognising the signs of a stroke, and knowing when to call 111 rather than waiting for a GP slot. Each topic is chosen because it came up repeatedly in conversations with local residents, community nurses, or social workers.
Creating each guide takes time and care. A first draft is written by a volunteer with a health background and then reviewed by someone who has experienced low literacy themselves, so we catch anything that still feels complicated. We revise until that reviewer tells us it feels clear and friendly. Only then do we record it.
The results have been encouraging. In feedback gathered over the past year, eight in ten residents who used our guides said they felt more confident talking to a doctor or nurse afterwards. Several told us they finally booked appointments they had been putting off for months. For Margaret, the guide on understanding blood pressure test results helped her understand what her readings meant and what questions to ask at her next check-up. She came back to collect the guide on managing medication and brought her neighbour with her.
That is the simple ambition behind everything we do at Lumen: to make sure that living in Musselburgh and struggling with reading never means struggling alone with your health.
