February is National Library Lovers’ Month, and it is important to recognize that as we age, even normal changes to eyesight can make it challenging to keep up with a beloved hobby, like reading.

As we age, we may find ourselves needing increased light to read the menu in a restaurant or that a change of our reading glasses prescription is necessary. But diseases of the eyes are different from normal aging and need to be addressed. Almost everyone will develop cataracts and fortunately, there is a proven surgical fix, a lens implant.

However, Macular Degeneration (which is the leading cause of vision loss in our elders), Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy are diseases which cannot be fixed. It is only through diagnosis and treatment that the process can be slowed down or progression of the disease stabilized. Which means, over time people will need to find compensating strategies.

The focus of compensation strategies is to help you live safely and independently at home. The strategies to compensate for low vision are based on improved lighting, better contrast (black vs. white) and different forms of magnification. One of the best ways to compensate for low vision is task lighting and our Aging Life Care Advisor™/Care Manager team can help identify the best places so that your elder can continue much-loved hobbies, like reading, sewing and using a computer.

There may come a time when there is nothing more medicine can do and that is when it is time to look for additional forms of help, such as transportation services or electronic / video magnifiers with enhanced magnification and contrast.

Assistive technology can play a role in helping to live independently at home. It can be used for everything from on demand time and weather to listening to Podcasts and even serving as a timer for cooking. More and more apps are being created for smart phones, like screen readers that provide magnification and text read aloud. There are apps that use the camera to read banknotes and product barcodes. Others connect visually impaired individuals to sighted users for help in things like choosing clothes or food expiration dates.

It important to find the right technology that will work for your elder’s condition, lifestyle and age. Here at Springpoint at Home, our Aging Life Care Advisor™/Care Manager team has the connections and resources to help you find the right compensation strategy and technology.

For more information on how Springpoint at Home can help, call us today at 844-724-1777.