Any ideas for activities for parent with low vision?

This comes up periodically on the forum and IMO there are never many good remedies. It really depends on your parent and what their interests are, how motivated they are and whether there is any dementia in the mix. My grandmother was a determined lady who still had enough vision to read with strong magnifiers and since she was a lifelong crafter she could crochet by feel and do other simple craft projects, she also kept herself busy by going to every club available to her. My mother's vision loss was much greater and more sudden - she is legally blind - and she enjoyed listening to audio books and to talk radio programs, and chatting on the phone. In retrospect I know many days must have been excruciatingly long for her.

moving your question up

What happened? Whether it was a recent, sudden thing or a gradual decline makes a difference - your parent may need time to adjust on the one hand, or a lot of confidence-building on the other.

I should ask an occupational therapist. Maybe your ophthalmology department will know some with relevant experience?

Following. My mother (83yo) has been losing her sight for the past 4 years. She has wet macular degeneration, brought on by decades of smoking. Unfortunately, its early years were masked by cataracts. The degeneration wasn't diagnosed until she'd had both eyes operated on, the outcome being little improvement. She's being treated for it, but it is progressing nevertheless. She's not legally blind, yet. She was an avid reader--in fact, she wrote advertising copy for a living--but between issues with her sight and mild cognitive issues, reading has become nearly impossible. Previous attempts with audio books, along with a lifelong discomfort with technology, made her resistant to using them. She recently moved to a large-ish assisted living facility (66 rooms). When I have visited her in the recent past, her favorite activities with me have involved exploration: going for drives, sitting in a park and listening to the activity around us, and finding new-to-her restaurants. I'd love to hear ideas for things she can do on her own (without me, at least).

CD player, and favorite CD's? Could she start a book club or poetry group at her facility? (Although a book club may lead back to audio books). Many facilities already have these and other activities, and van outings. Garden plots for residents? Walk to stuff in the neighborhood?

Within the last year has gone from driving/biking to not being able to live independently and limited activities. Due to glaucoma. Has had cataract surgery which hasn't helped too much. Plays bingo and cards with errors due to vision loss. Have gotten the bigger cards for both which has helped.

I'm glad you mentioned the bigger cards Irish. There are so many adaptive devices - both for vision loss and other disabilities - available that most people have never heard of or imagined. My grandmother had oversized dominoes which we all liked to play. The talking watches and clocks good to have too, and the tech for digital magnification and CCTV readers has really come a long way in the last 20 years.