Blindness as a disability can result from disorders of the eye, injuries, and other conditions that limit and spoil the victim’s vision. Under the normal condition, an official blindness disease shows that the person has a vision that can be measured 20/200 or worse, as explained by the Iowa Department for the Blind (BOONE, 2002, pg 3387). Age can cause blindness to but slowly as time passes by. Patrick due to age has slowly lost his sight over the last five years. Due to Patrick’s condition, he tends to isolate himself socially and is facing challenges physically, emotionally, socially, psychologically, and spiritually that are discussable below.
The elderly blind people have physical challenges such as navigation from one point to another point. Due to age, the senior citizens are slow, and if they ar
...e blind, it is hard for them to know where to know where they are going (HERSH and JOHNSON, 2008, pg 290). The elderly blind people need close assistance since they cannot move from one place to the other without knocking things on the road or on their way. The elderly blind people assistance to navigate from one place to the other hence not to get lost or even land on wrong places at the wrong time.
Since the elderly blind are people too, they face emotional challenges from time to time since they have feelings like other human beings. The elderly blind people have emotional challenges such as feeling helpless, ignored, and lonely among others (BOONE, 2002, pg 3387). The elderly blind tend to feel ignore and helpless especially where resources are scares and people are competing for them. The blind tends t
feel lonely and neglected when normal people get to enjoy viewing on what is happening on the surrounding yet they cannot see yet others are enjoying.
The elderly blind people experience Social challenges since they cannot participate in many things. The elderly blind people are socially challenged since they cannot participate in some sports, job opportunities among others (HERSH and JOHNSON, 2008, pg 290). The blind people who are of age are limited by other employment opportunities and this affects their finances and more of their self-esteem. Blindness limits the people from other sports that require more of eyesight and energy if the person is of age (WATERMEYER, 2016, pg 334). When other people are participating in such sports and recreation activities, the elderly blind individuals feel sidelined hence they separate themselves socially.
Psychological challenges are other factors to consider when dealing with the elderly blind people in the society. The psychological challenges experienced by the elderly blind people include having low self-esteem, over dependent; they feel like a bother to others among others (BOONE, 2002, pg 3387). The elderly blind people feel psychologically challenged since they are over dependent since most of the times they need an assistant next to them to help them even in the simple things in life. The elderly blind people tend to separate themselves from other people since they feel better when they are alone and not depending on the sighted people to do something simple (WATERMEYER, 2016, pg 334).
Spiritual challenges exist too to the elderly blind people in many and different ways. In spiritual concerts and meetings, the elderly blind tend to be identified, pointed out, and given extra privileges
which other people do not want to them (GMELCH, 2008, pg 137). In most of the spiritual meeting are major points of reference which some of the elderly blind people do not want most of the time and to be put in the spotlight.
The different care needs between Patrick and a sighted resident in particular the difference in dressing and eating needs.
Different people have different needs and want in life to live a comfortable life. The elderly blind people and sighted people have different needs that make them different in their ways. The elderly blind people have two shortcomings already since they cannot see and due to their age they cannot perform certain tasks comfortably without assistance from a second party (ORR, 2012, pg 74). The different care needs between Patrick and a sighted resident are discussable particularly the difference in dressing and eating needs below.
The elderly blind people like Patrick and sighted people have different needs in their dressing since their states do not allow them both to be the same. The elderly blind people prefer dressing as long as they are comfortable (BOONE, 2002, pg 3387). People like Patrick do not care about fashion keenly since they do not keep records of what fashion is the best at particular times. The sighted people are keener on fashion and most of the time the latest fashion and even go to the marketplace to choose for themselves. The elderly blind people do not take fashion seriously but they prefer to put on light goggle to cover their eyes same as the sighted people even if they do not have eye problems to correct.
People with the
same state as Patrick have different takes on their eating needs compared to the sighted residents. The elderly blind people prefer taking in diet that helps to correct their eye problem (GMELCH, 2008, pg 137). The sighted tend to eat type of food that is readily available since not all are keen on the diet that helps in correcting and maintaining good eyesight.
How Health Care Workers Would Support and Assist Patrick to Satisfy His Social Needs
As a health worker dealing with an elderly blind person, one needs to make the patient more comfortable with you. The closeness with the elderly blind people gives them room to share any personal problem that might be affecting them (BOONE, 2002, pg 3387). Health workers should know what are the likes and dislikes of the elderly blind people so that they get easy time handling them and comfortably.
As a health worker, you should formulate social activities that do not need more of the eyesight and energy to do. The health worker should engage the client in activities from the client list of likes that are interactive to help the patient participate and raise the level of self-esteem of the patient (GMELCH, 2008, pg 137). The health care worker should educate the client on the use computers and software designed for use by the blind so that when the client is lonely, they can access information and keep updated on what is happening outsides the client’s location (WOLDEAMANUEL, 2016, pg 200).
Key Learning Achieved During This Assignment
In the assignment, one gets to know the condition in which an official blindness disorder is blind, and its measures are 20/200 or worse, as
explained by the Iowa Department for the Blind. The assignment helps to know, the conditions that elderly blind people undergo that tends to isolate themselves socially and the challenges they face physically, emotionally, socially, psychologically, and spiritually. How different in people who are old and blind and the sighted people to live a comfortable life. How health care workers would support and assist Patrick to satisfy his social needs.
References
- BOONE, L. E. (2012). Code of federal regulations title 10 energy: revised as of january 1, 2002. S.l., U S Govt Printing Office.
- GMELCH, S. B. (2008). Gender on campus: issues for college women. New Brunswick, NJ u.a., Rutgers Univ. Press.
- HERSH, M. A., & JOHNSON, M. A. (2008). Assistive technology for visually impaired and blind people. Berlin, Springer.
- ORR, A. L. (2012). Vision and aging: crossroads for service delivery. New York, American Foundation for the Blind.
- WATERMEYER, B. (2016). Disability and social change: a South African agenda. Cape Town, South Africa, HSRC Press.
- WOLDEAMANUEL, M. G. (2016). Concepts in urban transportation planning: the quest for mobility, sustainability and quality of life. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1214063.
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