While we are looking forward to affording more social opportunities to residents off-campus, it will be more important than ever for Independent Living residents to communicate with one another and take responsibility for knowing the social patterns of the residents they choose to commune with.
F
ebruary is National Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month, and many of the residents at Beatitudes experience low vision in various forms. Macular degeneration causes loss of central vision and is one of the most common low vision diagnoses amongst older adults, but others on campus have glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and numerous other visual conditions. What many don’t realize, however, is that almost all older adults experience age-related changes in vision. These age-related changes frequently include increased sensitivity to glare, diminished ability to see contrast, increased sensitivity to light changes, decreased depth perception, diminished visual acuity or sharpness, and decreased ability to see in dim light. For example, according to University of Kentucky researchers, an 80 year-old needs four times the amount of light to see things as clearly as they did in their 20s! Thankfully, there are a number of great resources in place to assist residents at Beatitudes Campus to navigate age-related vision changes.
The Low Vision Support Group meets on the second Friday of each month at 1PM in Boardroom East to share resources and support for those who are coping with varying degrees of vision loss. This group is open to ALL residents, and it publishes a reference list of eye doctors, optometrists, specialists, and local organizations that provide services for the visually impaired. In addition to sharing news and information about the latest developments in eye care and vision technology advancements, the Low Vision Support Group makes buttons available to residents with low vision, so that they can easily identify themselves to others. You may notice your friends and neighbors wearing a button that says, “I HAVE LOW VISION.” When you see others wearing these buttons, please be mindful of the fact that they may not be able to see your face clearly and may need extra time to orient themselves to their surroundings. As a courtesy to all residents on campus who may have low vision (whether or not they wear the button), please identify yourself when you say hello.
As an occupational therapist and Director of Success Matters, one of my roles also includes working with individual residents to help make their environments more visually accessible — from home lighting to computers. For individualized information on setting up your apartment for improved visibility, feel free to call me, Jessica Meyer, at x16110. Please contact Mark Pelkey at x15586 or Mary Lou Philips at x18371 for additional information about upcoming Low Vision Support Group meetings.
By Mark Pelkey, Mildred Bulpitt Memorial
Low-Vision Support Group Co-Facilitator
February is National Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month. Many of our fellow residents, like myself, find our environment to be somewhat challenging due to issues relating to low vision. Fortunately, a visionary woman (pun intended) here on campus founded a support group dedicated to addressing the issues of the visually impaired.
The Mildred Bulpitt Memorial Low Vision Group meets on the second Friday of each month to share resources and support for those of us who are coping with varying degrees of vision loss. We publish a reference list of eye doctors, optometrists, and local organizations that provide services for the visually impaired. Included on this list are specialists who treat macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa and, of course, the more commonplace near and farsightedness.
Our reference collection also includes information about Guide Dogs for the Blind, Veterans Administration contact numbers, access to campus and off-campus transportation services, local pharmacies, grocery stores and more.
At our meetings, we share news and information about the latest developments in eye care and technological advancements available to the low vision community. Technologies such as Talking Books, Audible.com, e-book readers, and various other programs and computer enhancements make dealing with a darkened or blurred world less stressful. The Mildred Bulpitt Memorial Low Vision Group strives to make certain that information about these products and services is readily available here at Beatitudes Campus. A further goal is the encouragement of a compassionate environment that ensures a level of comfort, not only for those of us with low vision, but the rest of campus residents as well.
As previously noted, February is National AMD and Low Vision Awareness Month, and you’ll be seeing some of your fellow residents sporting buttons announcing that we have low vision. We with low vision may not recognize even our close friends at times, and the buttons will serve to encourage friends and acquaintances to identify themselves when greeting one another. Also, sometimes we may appear to be a bit turned around in our surroundings or we may need extra time to orient ourselves due to changes in lighting. Again, the buttons offer a quick and simple explanation to any helpful observer.
The Mildred Bulpitt Memorial Low Vision Group invites residents, family, and friends who may have questions or concerns relating to low vision support to join us on February 12 at 1:00PM in Boardroom East at our regularly scheduled meeting. Please contact Mark Pelkey at ext. 5586 or Mary Lou Philips at ext. 8371 for additional information. *
