As your senior’s vision changes, that affects a lot about how well her life works. Some parts of her life might not work for her as well as they did before. Her environment may need changes in order for her to be safer and she may need more help than she did in the past.
Address Lighting Issues and Enhance Existing Lighting
Lighting is always a concern, regardless of your senior’s vision challenges. Switching out older bulbs or low wattage bulbs for LED versions can make a huge difference in how well your senior is able to see. If there’s a good bit of natural lighting available for her, it makes sense to utilize it as much as possible. Check for glares and other issues that could affect how well lighting works for your senior.
Use Contrasts as Much as Possible
Contrasts can be a huge help when someone has vision issues. Using contrasts with furniture, rugs, and flooring can help your senior to recognize where she is spatially and that can help her to avoid tripping or bumping into things. You might want to consider using contrasts even more, though, especially if your senior’s vision is particularly bad. Anywhere that contrasts might be helpful is a good idea to try them out.
Make Sure Assistive Devices Are Easy to Access
There might be any number of assistive devices that could help your senior, not just with her sight. The key to any assistive device is that it has to be easy for your elderly family member to access and to use. That might mean duplicating some assistive devices, like magnifying glasses or reading glasses. But others might be too difficult or expensive to duplicate. It all means looking at how to make it easier for your senior to have the assistance that she needs.
Get Help for Your Senior
Something else that can make a huge difference for your elderly family member is having personal care at home. Personal care providers are able to offer hands-on assistance exactly when and how your senior needs it most. If she’s reluctant to accept the help that personal care at home can provide, talk with her more about her goals and what challenges she’s facing. Sometimes it’s more about worrying that she’s not truly in need of help than anything else.
Your senior’s doctor and eye doctor may have other suggestions that can help, too.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING PERSONAL CARE AT HOME IN LOS GATOS, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY (408) 317-4969.
