Keeping Connected
The Essential Guide to Keeping the Caregiver Informed
The Caregiver's Role
Status of the Patient
Caring for an individual facing visual impairment will be followed by some abrupt hardships faced by the individual and family involved. As the individual is not only handling the new diagnosis, they are also dealing with the idea of not seeing the things that they could once see. Unlike most conditions, the loss of eye sight is amongst one of the most challenging events for an individual to handle and process. A psychologist, researcher, and advocate for blind individuals named Berthold Lowenfield was able to hypothesize that blindness may set three major limitations on an individual including:
- Loss of range and variety of experiences
- Loss of the ability to get around (mobility)
- Loss of control of the environment and the self in relation to it
(McCarthy, 2015).
As one can see, these three areas are essential to human nature, and without these three basic areas, one may find it difficult to adapt. But, with the essential help of the caregiver, the individual will learn to view the world through other senses; particularly hearing and touch (McCarthy, 2015).
Copy of MRI
The Brain
Helpful Considerations
In consideration of potential helpful considerations to keep in mind, one may observe the guidance of a seeing eye dog can help address some of the needs of an individual who may have lost their sight. The guide dog is recognized as a mobility aid that enables individuals to travel in a safe manor. Guidance will typically include allowing individuals to go around obstacles, through crowds, stop at stairs or curbs, and possibly opening and closing doors required in entrances or exit doors (Stifferlin & Parks, 2015). If you are interested or have any further questions, please feel free to contact 1800-552-3320 or email dogsavor@gmail.com. In addition to the contact information provided, visiting the following link or checking out the video listed below can help represent a visual image of the program.
Treatment Options
- The Bionic Eye
- Stem-Cell Injections
- Gene Therapy
References
McCarthy, T. (2015). Psychology of touch and blindness. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 109(1), 73-76
Pompon, R.H., Burns, M., & Kendall, D. (2015). On the job make it work: Counseling the caregiver. ASHA Leader, 20 (7), 30-32 3p.
Science News. (2009 November 19). Blindness causes structural brain changes, implying brain can re-ogranize itself to adapt. University of California. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143259.htm