Vision loss rarely arrives all at once. Macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy take it gradually, and people compensate so well and for so long that the family often finds out by accident.
By the time it is obvious, a good deal of the person’s world has usually already been given up quietly.
What actually changes at home
- Post and labels stop being readable — which means bills, appointment letters and, dangerously, medication.
- Cooking becomes the risky part. Hobs, kettles and knives are the reason a lot of people stop eating properly rather than admit they are struggling.
- Falls go up, particularly on stairs, in poor light, and anywhere the furniture has been moved.
- Driving ends, and with it a great deal of independence and social contact that nobody thinks to replace.
- People hide it. Nodding at things they have not seen, avoiding invitations, staying in one well-known room. The withdrawal often looks like low mood, and sometimes becomes it.
What to ask about first
Some of the most useful help here is free, and it is not us.
- CNIB runs programmes and practical training for people losing their sight, at no charge. It is usually the best first call.
- Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program contributes to the cost of some vision aids and equipment.
- Ontario Health atHome arranges publicly funded support for people who qualify.
- Many communities have a CNIB or low-vision clinic attached to a hospital eye service — ask the ophthalmologist directly, because the referral is often not offered.
Sight loss is a medical question first. Sudden change in vision is an emergency, not something to book a carer for.
How we help
- Reading post, labels and appointment letters aloud, and helping with replies
- Safe meal preparation, and keeping the kitchen ordered so it can be worked from memory
- Medication organization and verification, which is one of the highest-risk parts of losing your sight
- Keeping the home arranged consistently — moved furniture is a hazard, and we train workers not to tidy things into new places
- Escort to appointments, shopping and out of the house, which is often the part that has been lost entirely
- Describing rather than doing, so the person keeps the skills and the independence they still have
Who provides the care
Personal support workers provide this care. Where there is diabetes and insulin, or eye drops that need administering rather than prompting, we place an RN or RPN. Orientation and mobility training is a specialist service — CNIB rather than us — and we will tell you so.
Common questions
Will your worker move things around when they tidy?
No, and it is one of the specific things we brief for. For someone with limited sight a tidy room with everything in a new place is worse than an untidy one they know. Anything that has to move gets put back and mentioned out loud.
Can you help with eye drops?
Prompting and reminding, yes, with a personal support worker. Actually administering them is a nursing task, so if that is what is needed we place an RN or RPN. We will tell you which applies rather than blurring it.
My mother has diabetes as well and cannot see the insulin dial. What then?
That is nursing. Drawing up and administering insulin is not something a personal support worker may do in Ontario. See also our diabetes care page, because the two together change what the plan has to include.
Is there free help?
Yes, and it is worth using first. CNIB runs practical programmes and training at no charge, Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program contributes to some equipment, and Ontario Health atHome arranges publicly funded support for people who qualify.
He will not admit he cannot see. How do we start?
Usually not by confronting it. Starting with something practical and neutral — help with post, or a lift to an appointment — gets a foot in the door where a conversation about sight loss gets refused.
Where we provide this care
We provide this support across communities across Ontario, from the Greater Toronto Area to Thunder Bay. If your town is not listed, call us — we will tell you honestly whether we can staff it properly rather than promising and then failing to turn up.
Related
- Diabetes care at home
- Falls and fracture recovery
- Arthritis and mobility
- Personal support at home
- Home care — what it covers
- Where to start
- All the communities we serve
Not sure what you need? That is the normal starting point. A free consultation is a conversation about what is actually happening at home — no charge, no obligation, and we will point you at publicly funded care first where you may qualify for it.