February is Low Vision Awareness Month, and now is the perfect time to think about how having low vision may impact your senior parent who lives independently. For seniors who are living in their own homes, having low vision can make everyday tasks challenging and sometimes unsafe.
If your parent is struggling with low vision, they may not want to tell you. Your parent may be worried that they will lose their independence if they admit that having low vision is causing difficulties for them.
You should be watching to see if your parent shows any signs of low vision. But also you should talk to them about their vision and make sure they know that having low vision doesn’t mean they have to give up living alone. Opening a dialog makes it easier for your parent to tell you if they are experiencing changes in their vision.
Home Care For Seniors With Low Vision
Home care can help your parent live safely at home if they have low vision. With support from home care, your parent will have a reliable care provider in the home with them each day to help them safely perform activities of daily living like cooking, taking out the trash, and getting dressed.
Having low vision can make all kinds of daily tasks difficult for seniors. Some of the tasks that seniors may find it hard to do with low vision are:
Cooking and Food Preparation
Cooking is one of the most challenging tasks for seniors with low vision. Reading labels, recipes, and stove settings can be very hard.
It may be difficult to tell if food is fully cooked or if it is starting to burn. Measuring ingredients can also be tricky when markings on cups and spoons are hard to see. Poor vision increases the risk of cuts, burns, and spills, which can make seniors nervous about cooking on their own. Home care can help with these things as well.
Managing Medications
Handling medications requires clear vision and attention to detail. Seniors with low vision may struggle to read pill bottles, dosage instructions, or warning labels.
Pills can look similar in size, shape, or color, which increases the risk of taking the wrong medicine or the wrong amount. Dropping pills on the floor and not being able to find them is another common problem. Medication mistakes can be serious and even dangerous.
Cleaning and Housekeeping
Cleaning is harder when it is difficult to see dirt, dust, or spills. Seniors with low vision may not notice crumbs on the floor, stains on counters, or clutter in walkways. This can lead to an unsafe home environment. Using cleaning products also requires reading labels and instructions, which can be challenging. Poor vision can increase the risk of slips, trips, and falls while cleaning.
Sorting Mail and Paying Bills
Managing mail and paperwork is another task that can become overwhelming. Seniors with low vision may struggle to read letters, bank statements, and bills.
Important documents may be missed or misunderstood. Writing checks or filling out forms can also be difficult if lines and numbers are hard to see. This can lead to unpaid bills, late fees, or confusion about finances, which adds stress and anxiety.
Doing Laundry
Laundry involves several steps that rely on good vision. Sorting clothes by color can be difficult when colors look similar. Reading washer and dryer settings is another challenge.
Seniors may not be able to see stains on clothing or tell if clothes are fully clean. Folding laundry can also be harder when edges and seams are difficult to see. Carrying laundry baskets while trying to watch footing adds to the risk of falls