Recognizing Low Vision Awareness Month with Resources for Aging in Place

by Lynn Wilson, Co-Founder of The CareGiver Partnership

Aging in place is remaining safely at home.

February is Low Vision Awareness Month, sponsored by Prevent Blindness America, a volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Here at The CareGiver Partnership, we are dedicated to helping seniors maintain dignity and remain safely in their homes, so ways to live with vision problems and preventing falls are ongoing initiatives for us.

Because a key factor to a successful aging-in-place arrangement is having a support network, we’ve stocked our online library with resources designed to help seniors and caregivers. Coping with low vision may include home design modifications, the use of technology, and learning alternative ways to perform familiar tasks.

                                 Watch the video - how to make a home safer for seniors


These four areas are considerations when living with low vision: 

• Home design: A home designed for someone with low vision includes bright lighting, visual contrast between floors and walls, nonslip flooring, levered faucets, easy-to-grab cabinet hardware, and safety rails, especially in the bathroom.
• Technology: An amplified phone with large buttons and talking caller ID, and a monitoring device such as the Guardian Alert 24/7 remote access to 911, provide peace of mind to those with low vision and their families.
• Support network: A network of support includes proximity to family and social interaction, as well as convenient access to health care, financial and other services. Helpful resources include the National Aging in Place Council, ElderFriends, and the Meals on Wheels Association of America.
• Educational resources: The CareGiver Partnership offers a free, downloadable fall-prevention brochure in its online library of family caregiver resources. “It All Starts With a Fall — Your Guide to Help Prevent Falls” is full of tips to help caregivers and seniors identify and minimize risk factors at home and outdoors. The brochure is available as a PDF.  

To read more about design principles, telecare and monitoring that can make living at home a success, see “Aging in Place: Tools to Help Your Loved One Stay at Home.”                       

Lynn Wilson founded The CareGiver Partnership based on her experience in caring for loved ones as well as providing the highest level of customer service. She takes pride in offering personalized service that helps her customers find the best solutions for their individual needs. Now that her children are grown, Lynn enjoys spending time with her granddaughter while also helping to care for her mom. To find out how The CareGiver Partnership can serve you, call 1-800-985-1353 M-F 9-4 CST.

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