It is difficult enough for a senior to struggle with vision issues or vision loss, but to add to the challenge is the fact that everyday tasks may suddenly become nearly impossible. This can lead to an overall reduction in quality of life, as well as health and safety issues. The good news is that assisted living communities can provide a senior with vision loss with a long list of benefits and support.
While nursing homes are designed to provide the utmost in safety, an assisted living community is a bit different in that the individual retains a lot of their autonomy and can enjoy personalized services based on their needs and not on general guidelines or standards. The way someone loses their vision is going to differ from person to person, and that means that the care they require has to be customized, too.
As the Vision Aware group said, “different eye conditions affect the ability to see and function in varying ways. For example, macular degeneration affects central vision and the ability to read, see faces, and drive. Glaucoma, on the other hand, affects side vision and the ability to detect objects outside the field of vision.” And that means a senior with vision loss requires the appropriate solution.
Many People, Many Needs
Estimates say that one in six seniors has some sort of vision loss, and that can mean that simple issues, like climbing stairs and making meals can become difficult to impossible, but living in an assisted living community can make those challenges disappear. The greater challenges, such as personal hygiene, medication management and other issues (which are often tasks that require the help of registered nurses) become possible.
The first step in finding just such a solution for a senior is to scout out all-inclusive options, and also an authentic assisted living community rather than a nursing home or long-term care facility that does not provide seniors with the independence they crave.
An assisted living community can then provide a long list of benefits to someone living with any degree of vision loss, including:
- Housekeeping and laundry services
- Transportation for medical appointments and errands
- Seamless health care that includes visits from physicians and registered nurses on the premises
- A home-like setting in which furniture can be arranged to suit the individual’s needs
- Well-balanced and nutritional meals served in a welcoming setting
- 24-hour care
- Support for personal care needs such as bathing, grooming, and dressing
Keep in mind that these are broader categorizations of the kinds of premium services that someone with vision loss can enjoy when living in an assisted living community. As an example, consider how many challenges one might face with something as simple as laundry.
With vision loss, an individual may find it very difficult to carry their laundry to a laundry room or machines, sort clearly, measure detergents and navigate the instructions on the dials. Then comes moving from machine to machine, carrying the laundry home, and folding it before putting it away. That is just the daily or weekly laundry! An assisted living community can offer personal or customized laundry services that ensure someone with vision loss has support in this area, plus much more!
Professional Services
In addition to the kinds of services that a senior with vision loss can count on while residing in an assisted living community, there are also options like medication management, social activities, in-home services (including hair cuts and beautician services), podiatrist visits, and much more. For example, a good assisted living community will have social activities that stimulate the mind and help residents remain emotionally stable and happy. There could be games, a happy hour event each afternoon, and there is always the benefit of group meals where no one is forced to dine alone.
There is a great benefit to having medical care on the premises, and this is particularly true for seniors with vision loss who might find it upsetting or difficult to make a trip to an office or clinic. The best assisted living communities will have lab and x-ray services, respite care, incontinence management support, and even hospice care options for their residents.
At Heidi’s Haven in Leesburg, Florida, a senior with vision loss due to AMD, glaucoma, cataracts, detached retina, or any other reason will be able to remain independent and in a home-like setting. They will be able to choose from a diversity of customized services and activities that allow the highest quality of life no matter the extent of the vision loss.
Sources:
https://www.visionaware.org/section.aspx?SectionID=65&TopicID=457&DocumentID=5483&rewrite=0
