My 88 year old aunt started out legally blind, refused to participate in mobility training, and now that she is pretty much completely blind is very tentative when she is not in familiar surroundings. My mother, her sister is, 85 and they live together. It is wearing on my mother and I know the inevitable is looming. Does anyone have experience in locating a quality nursing home for a blind relative and can share the do's/don'ts, things to watch for? Thank you!
6 Answers
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First
Good luck. This sounds like an inevitable move.
Carol
1. Sometimes there are specific rehab institutes which address stroke victims. The Rehab Institute of Michigan, under the umbrella of the Detroit Medical Center, is one. It has special programs and exercises for people with stroke disabilities. I don't know about blindness though.
This is a link to RIM; look it over just to see what's offered; that might give you an idea of what to search for in CA. Check the "For Patients and Families" and "Specialties/Stroke Program" sections to see what's offered. That might be a kind of guideline in checking CA facilities.
rimrehab organizational site
2. I found several institutes in CA that appear to address similar issues:
google/?gws_rd=ssl#q=rehab+institute+of+california.
If this link is deleted (dot.com links are typically deleted by admins), google "Rehab Institutes of California."
3. You might want to try a similar approach - google "Blindness Rehab in California", or something similar.
4. Check with the State of California; in Michigan, there's actually an agency that addresses blindness and coping.
5. Contact local hospitals to see if they have stroke programs and stroke support groups. One hospital here does, so it's an opportunity for stroke recoverers to meet with others, learn coping and recovery skills, etc. It's also a way to socialize with others in a similar situation, without feeling embarrassed.
6. One hospital which has a stroke program also has a PT subsidiary. When I was getting therapy once, there was a woman getting stroke therapy; she was walking with assistance in a walker that was like the things children used to wear when learning to walk - it's a type of device that has an inflatable circular portion around the upper body, with another circular stability device around the ankles and/or lower legs, as the walking portion.
If you can imagine walking inside a barrel, without the slats, it's somewhat like that. It provides support for the person in a 360 degree circle, not just from the front like a walker.
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It's possible you might get some help from one of the charities that focuses on blindness as well.