24-Hour Home Care: How to Help Your Loved One with Low Vision
Low vision is determined by a person’s ability to see details. When clarity and sharpness in vision decline to a certain point that vision is no longer always clear, a person can be diagnosed with low vision. It is not the same as needing glasses to read, but instead references more the effect that low vision has on a person’s daily life and the ability to safely and easily complete everyday tasks. It is often brought on by cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration so the elderly are often the demographic that suffers from low vision.
Understanding Low Vision and its Impact on Daily Life
There is often no cure or fix for low vision, so helping your loved one live with the disorder is important. You want your loved one to still be able to enjoy life even though her vision is impaired. The great news is that she can with some aid from people and some amazing assistive devices.
If your loved one still lives in her home but has low vision, you might want to consider several options to help keep her safe while still enjoying the freedom of living on her own. Here are some options to talk to her about.
Exploring 24-Hour Home Care Solutions
Getting a 24-hour home care team to help with round-the-clock care. Depending on your loved one’s vision, she might benefit from having a 24-hour home care provider in the home at all times. The 24-hour home care provider can help with transportation needs no matter the time of day, meal prep, and any other chores around the home that your loved one can no longer perform safely.
Enhancing Home Lighting
Increase lighting. If your loved one has low vision, inspect her home to make sure all areas are well-lit. A darkened hallway or stairs can become even more treacherous when combined with low vision. Each area of the home should have a good light source for your loved one to easily access. During visits, ask about any lightbulbs that may be burned out and make sure they are replaced.
Adapting Technology for Low Vision
Big print books and devices. Many handheld devices can be altered to have their displays set up to large print. This can help your loved one still be able to use her phone for calling and texting, as well as use her laptop or other handheld device for internet use. Another choice for many devices is to have printed text converted into spoken word so your loved one can listen to a text instead of reading it.
Creating Accessible Spaces
Create a place for everything. Not having to hunt through a drawer to find a serving spoon can save your loved one time and frustration. Instead, help her rearrange her home so that each item has a place where she can easily and safely find it when she needs it. Put away less commonly used items, and keep items that need to be used frequently in an area that is easy to access despite her vision loss.
By providing support and some changes, your loved one with low vision will still be able to live independently and enjoy the world around her.
If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care in San Diego, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aaron Home Care. (619) 880-5522
A Trusted Home Care Agency Serving La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, San Diego, UTC, La Mesa, Chula Vista, Coronado, Bonita, Eastlake and the surrounding areas.
In 1999, Aaron was named Residential Program Manager of a group home for disabled adults in Arlington, Virgina. Here, he built a reputation for being compassionate with his clients and efficient in company operations. In the years that followed, Washington DC’s human services field went through unprecedented reform when the city was fined $11 million for the previously unchecked abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the very population it was supposed to protect. In 2005, Aaron was selected by a watchdog company to co-create and implement a monitoring system to safeguard and advocate for the system’s most vulnerable residents. This system is still in use today.
Aaron is now using his unique gifts and profound experience in the human service field to provide San Diego County Seniors with dependable, compassionate caregivers through Aaron Home Care.
He currently serves on the board of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council and is an active member of the Senior Advocate Network of San Diego.
Aaron Home Care is a member of the American Board of Home Care and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
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