She has an Amazon Alexa but forgets to use it. Magnifiers dont help. A caregiver comes in 3 days a week. Family available the other days. Very unpleasant to be around in last couple months.
MJ1929's idea is a wonderful one. As well as this, I, as a lifelong Nurse, believe one of the most difficult things is for family to have empathy with an elder. To truly know "where that person is at". For many of us (I am pushing 80) we have had productive and wonderful lives, have lived fully, and are more "ready" than a younger person can fully understand, to go to rest. There is a difference between depression and acceptance. When younger I often saw people as depressed and giving up. As a nurse I learned that often the sitting in quiet contemplation was remembering a life fully lived, and seeing or even listening to the sounds of life surrounding us. My own father was one of my teachers in just how exhausted with living one can get. Plain old tired out and so ready. Every response now a struggle. And I had many patients that expressed the same to me, but could not speak with their families because when they said "I would like to go now; I am ready and just so tired" the family was desperate and unhappy. They often could share their real feelings with their nurses more easily than with family. It would be useful to have more information from you Geneva. What discussion have you had with your loved one? Have you asked about their feelings? What have you tried already to more engage your loved one in life? How long has the approaching blindness been here? What do they miss? What can they still enjoy? Best wishes to you and welcome to the Forum.
A little more information would be helpful. Is the person who is going blind able to be helped with adaptive devices, like sheet magnifiers, talking books and the like?
Is this a big change in their mood ( i.e., usually optimistic, now suddenly depressed.)?
As well as this, I, as a lifelong Nurse, believe one of the most difficult things is for family to have empathy with an elder. To truly know "where that person is at". For many of us (I am pushing 80) we have had productive and wonderful lives, have lived fully, and are more "ready" than a younger person can fully understand, to go to rest. There is a difference between depression and acceptance. When younger I often saw people as depressed and giving up. As a nurse I learned that often the sitting in quiet contemplation was remembering a life fully lived, and seeing or even listening to the sounds of life surrounding us. My own father was one of my teachers in just how exhausted with living one can get. Plain old tired out and so ready. Every response now a struggle. And I had many patients that expressed the same to me, but could not speak with their families because when they said "I would like to go now; I am ready and just so tired" the family was desperate and unhappy. They often could share their real feelings with their nurses more easily than with family.
It would be useful to have more information from you Geneva. What discussion have you had with your loved one? Have you asked about their feelings? What have you tried already to more engage your loved one in life? How long has the approaching blindness been here? What do they miss? What can they still enjoy?
Best wishes to you and welcome to the Forum.
They were very helpful when my mother had macular degeneration.
A little more information would be helpful. Is the person who is going blind able to be helped with adaptive devices, like sheet magnifiers, talking books and the like?
Is this a big change in their mood ( i.e., usually optimistic, now suddenly depressed.)?