In your role as a family caregiver, you should be concerned not just with the health concerns and challenges that they might be facing, but also the proactive steps that you can take to help protect your loved one from serious concerns. An important part of this is helping them to protect their senses. Their senses are how they interact with and interpret the world around them, and the loss of them as they grow older can make a serious negative impact on their functioning, health, well-being, and quality of life. Helping them to understand the risks that their senses face and what you can do together to protect them can help your parent to maintain more of their sensory acuity as they age in place.
May is Healthy Vision Month. This is the ideal opportunity for you to learn more about your parent’s vision and how you can help them to protect it as they get older. This not only preserves their quality of life, but can also help to keep them safer and healthier.
Some things that you should know about healthy vision include:
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that just over 54 percent of those older adults over the age of 64 and blind report that their health is fair to poor
• Nearly 42 percent of those who are over the age of 64 and have impaired vision report that their health is fair to poor
• Under 22 percent of those who are over the age of 64 and do not have vision impairments report that their health is fair to poor
• People who have poor vision are more likely to suffer from other health concerns, such as depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, poor hearing, strokes, and chronic pain
• Seniors who are dealing with vision problems have higher fall risk than those with good vision, putting them at risk of serious injuries
• Many eye health issues such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration can lead to vision loss and blindness
If your aging parent has been struggling with needs or challenges that are making it more difficult for them to live a healthy, comfortable, and fulfilling quality of life as they age in place, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting senior care for them. A senior home care services provider can be with your aging loved one on a customized schedule that is right for their needs. They will work with you to ensure that they are with your parent as frequently and for as long as they need to give them the highly personalized set of services that is right for them. These will be tailored not just to their needs, challenges, and limitations, but also your parent’s personality, goals, thoughts, and preferences. This helps ensure that they are not just managing their needs, but also helping them to live a lifestyle that is as independent, active, and fulfilling as possible throughout their later years.
Source
https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/healthyvisionmonth/
https://nei.nih.gov/hvm/about_hvm
https://parade.com/566614/heatherdonahoe/may-is-healthy-vision-month-6-proactive-steps-for-protecting-your-peepers/
When you are in need of care for a senior loved one who may be suffering from low vision, consider home care provided by Golden Heart Senior Care. We have offices nationwide. For more information, call us today at (800) 601-2792.
