Joann admits, without the Lighthouse, she would have had to become a different person. Now she feels very comfortable with how things have turned out, and she is grateful for everyone she has met along the way. She is glad she did not wait to come to the Lighthouse.
Statistics show there are almost 25,000 people in our Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus area who have low vision that impacts their daily life. Many think they are alone with their vision impairment and do not know about Lighthouse training that can help them regain or maintain independence. Some know about the Lighthouse but aren’t ready for us so they delay getting help.
A recent client of our Independent Living Skills Program (IL) took no time at all getting to the Lighthouse. Joann had lived competently with Macular Degeneration since the age of 70, but recent complications robbed her of the vision in her good eye. So, overnight, she lost the ability to read, see faces, and do many things she needed to do. She also began knocking over things, tripping, losing her balance, and she reported that at night, she had no sight at all.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than a third of Americans age 65+ experience falls annually, and people with vision loss are almost twice as likely to experience multiple falls. Falls have serious implications, especially for seniors, and although Joann was devastated and a little embarrassed, she contacted the Lighthouse for training.
At the Lighthouse, Joann met visually impaired people for the first time. Her class was taught by an instructor who is legally blind, and she was one of seven visually impaired and blind individuals in her IL program. The instructor taught adaptive skills and coping strategies. To help those with night blindness, or fluctuating and/or diminishing vision, the instructor taught a cooking class in the dark. Joann learned to use her peripheral vision and to compensate for vision loss with her other senses. She also began to learn how to use a white cane to safely get around.
Joann’s reaction to her Lighthouse training was relief. She appreciated being taught by someone as knowledgeable as her instructor, and she was surrounded by a group of peers who were all dealing with vision loss together, and with positivity. Joann excelled, and has returned to preparing meals for herself and her husband. She is also using talking books, her iPhone, and she feels comfortable and safe moving in the dark and traveling outside of her home.
In a recent video, Joan explained how much confidence she has in herself and how much progress she has made. Thanks to Joann for her wonderful testimonial, and thanks to our supporters for making Lighthouse services possible—this particular IL program was paid for by a generous grant from Florida Medical Clinic Foundation of Caring.
Each year, Lighthouse holds Dining in the Dark, to raise funds for services provided to our clients. Learn about Dining in the Dark and some of the people who are making a difference in our clients’ lives.
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