The number of people in the UK who have lost their sight is set to increase dramatically. It is predicted by 2020 the number of people with visual impairment will rise to over 2,250,000, and this will increase to nearly four million by 2050.
Age related Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in
adults. Other significant causes are
glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.
Older people with sight loss are almost three times more likely to
experience depression than people with good vision.
Skills training such as kitchen safety, independent mobility, and
communication skills, are delivered in people’s homes or in a specialist
training suite situated at the Southside Business Centre in Birmingham.
The rehabilitation team has discovered many older people are
misdiagnosed as suffering from memory loss because they fail to recognise the
person they are talking to, whereas the real issue is sight loss. The team has sought to combat this problem by
raising awareness around the council of visual impairment and how it affects
older people.
Life skills training reduces the need for support, while increasing
independence and wellbeing for individuals.
Contact: Andrew Sheehan, Service Manager, Visual Impairment Rehabilitation
Service, telephone: 0121 464 4951, mobile: 07917643450.
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