Have you considered looking into meal on wheels? It really helped my grandma plus she got to see and talk to someone when they can to drop off the food.
Are there guidelines for Meals on Wheels? Cost? My dad could really use their services.
Do they have services for 2-3 times per week?
My experience is each Meals On Wheels has different criteria in terms of qualifications and cost. Contact the one in your county to get the most accurate info.
^ yes it depends on where you live. Grandma was in Michigan they delivered 5 days a week. I believe there was some income restrictions. Here in our county in Georgia they also deliver 5 days a week but there is no income restrictions it is based on other factors. I don’t think you have to get it all 5 days though.
My mother was okay with a laptop for years, but when my sil tried to switch her to an ipad, she was unable to make the switch. At that point she seemed fine with most things, though it’s obvious she’s getting dementia now. Getting your name on bills and checks sooner rather than later is a good idea in my experience.
@mathmom My point exactly about elderly people learning new technology. Sometimes memory deficits and executive functioning aren’t noticed by family until routines are disrupted and new learning is expected .
We raised a Seeing Eye puppy (that’s his pic there being goofy) - a guide dog can both be a boost for the spirits as well as an assistant. seeingeye.org
Librivox has free audio books. It’s wonderful
In addition to looking for adaptive technology from your local society for the blind like talking clocks and talking watches, reading machines or some of the other suggestions, I found velcro dots to be extremely helpful with my senior family members with macro degeneration. One dot on the on-off button on the remote, a dot on the channel up/down, a dot on on/off for the audio device for listening to books, a dot on the on/off switch for the coffee pot, etc. In the early days when there was still some site, streaming devices where they could enlarge pictures and text were helpful but eventually even that will not enable them to see. Eventually we had someone stop in and prepare meals for the family senior who lived alone but meals on wheels or meals for seniors in the area might be a less costly option.
http://societyfortheblind.org/store/
This talks about the store, we were fortunate that there was a brick and mortar store with an hour’s drive. The reading machine pictured was used by my dad for many years even though he had wet macular degeneration which causes more rapid deterioration.
@missypie My mom is going through the same thing. It’s sad because she’s a lifelong voracious reader, and now can no longer see even large print.
The Parents Caring for Parents thread folks may also have suggestions, not just about the vision issue, but about the many many arrangements and decisions that you’ll be making about her care and housing. There’s also a ton of emotional support over there.
Don’t forget radio. It’s still out there, and it’s a familiar form of technology. Does your mom have a radio with familiar, easy-to-use controls?
My aunt had vision problems along with other health problems in the last years of her life, but she was the best-informed person I knew because she spent hours every day listening to news and talk programs on the radio. It was her (audio) window to the world, and she liked it better than TV because there wasn’t a picture that she couldn’t see clearly.
We have a local radio station WRBH - Radio for the blind and print handicapped - that reads books and newspapers on the air. You can listen live online too, from anywhere.
Your Mom needs to face the fact that she will have to accept in-home help on a regular basis, or have to move to a facility where help is available.
Mom does listen to the classical radio station.
Large print anything really doesn’t work for her. What she can see is distorted or she only sees the edges. So I guess I will focus on talking devices (or things that can be felt, like the dots.)
Thanks, everyone!
Missy, my grandmother had these from a hobby and swore by them for reading.
http://www.magnifier.com/headband_magnifier.htm
Sometimes called an optivisor or jeweler’s magnifier. Not pretty but lightweight. Some come with different lens strength sets or lighted.
Also AARP has ads for a large keypad cell phone.
google and see if your state has a Commission for the Blind (I think every state does) and request an assessment before spending a lot of money on things. they should have suggestions and things you can try before you buy, and they may pay for some of it.
sometimes you can find “mainstream gadgets” on the cheap that will solve a problem–check odd places like harriet carter, sharper image and the like, but once it becomes something specialized it becomes a pricey option that you probably don’t want to make a mistake on.
it will probably be very helpful if you could sit down with her and make a list of things that are becoming increasingly difficult for her and start from there.
also, check a craft department for puffy paint pens–they can be used for a myriad of things. for example, you could draw raised letters/numbers on things or mark the on/off positions of something…that way she’ll have tactile reminders to aid in independence. it can be a cheap and easy fix for things she just needs a bit of help with…obviously at 82, she knows how to work the stove, but it might be hard for her to see that the burner is in the off position-a raised line will help her feel it rather than see it.
often the best adaptions are when you think outside the box with things that are already familiar.
Speaking of classical music… My mom, a theater lover, switched to philarmonic orchestra performances when her dry AMD robbed her of her ability to enjoy visual performances. It gave her an opportunity to go out without feeling inadequate.
Missy pie “am going to make an appointment soon for us to visit the state agency that helps elderly blind folks. In the meantime, personal tips on technology would be greatly appreciated”
Definitively contact your state agency. 6 years ago when they came in to help my mother, ( and when NJ had more $$$$) they gave her
- a darkened faced watch she can see
- an alarm clock
- a lighted magnifier ( which is amazing and even smallest difference in magnification is significant)
- taught her how to use cane ( she didn’t do until she broke her pelvis)
- taught us how to walk safely with her
- made suggestions in condo where she lives independently
She goes to a low vision ophthalmologist and retinal specialist, ( shots in eyes didn’t help)
Best thing ever, was purchasing the $$$$$ reader. It’s like a projector, and she places things to read under and it projects as large as she needs it - with controls for contrast, and background color.
THE READER HAS BEEN THE MOST HELPFUL THING SHE PURCHASED AND WORTH EVERY $$$$.
TV Screens, bigger is not always better, there is an optimal size and distance.
My dad is now mostly blind. Unfortunately, dementia has made it impossible for him to compensate at all. But some things that help him are a sticky rubber placemat to keep his dishes from sliding around, plates that contrast with the food, and audio books. He has some of these from the library, some from the Brail Institute, and some from Audible.com. Audible offers subscriptions to several daily newspapers. He does not operate the computer himself, though. Before his dementia got too bad, he took a few classes offered by the Brail Institute on various life skills. I’m not sure how much he retained from the classes, but he did enjoy going, and they gave my mother some ideas for helping him and a break from having him around. He never learned how to use a cane to get around. One problem my parent had was denial–they had a hard time accepting that this was happening, and that there wouldn’t be some new treatment that would restore his eyesight. I think his life would have been much better if he had accepted the inevitable earlier and put some real energy into learning to adapt while he could.
@greenwitch thanks for link to online live broadcast for blind