Barbara Piascik and Jackie Bumba join us from the Cleveland Sight Center store, which serves those with low and no vision by providing more than 800 innovative daily living products. They’re here to answer all of our questions about using the products available to cope with vision loss and impairment and about the support services available through the Cleveland Sight Center.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
What is a daily living aid?
They’re products, devices and equipment that help people with disabilities or the elderly to perform everyday tasks or activities. This includes personal care and mobility devices that support daily living skills so people can live independently.
There are several mitochondrialRelated to the mitochondria. conditions that cause vision issues. When is the best time to connect with you about daily living products?
Most vision conditions are progressive and you’re aware of your vision changes. Educating yourself about the products available is important because while you may not need something now, you may need it in the future. It’s likely easier to learn how to use a product while you still have vision, compared to when you don’t.
What type of products are most beneficial for people with low or no vision?
Some CCT / reading machines have software that can take photos and read things back to you. A relatively new product is a glasses camera that reads text. Bump dots are a simple sticker that can be stuck to household items, like washing machine buttons, to help people label, mark and identify things they commonly use. We have talking clocks, watches, keychains, scales, tire gauges and tape measures— there are so many products from no tech to high tech. Technology is constantly changing and improving and we continue to evaluate new products as we make them available through the store.
How does someone get started?
When you register as a Cleveland Sight Center client, which there’s no fee for, you’re eligible for all of our services— shopping in our store, being seen in the clinic, early intervention, children’s services, vision rehab, recreational activities and more. You’ll be assigned a caseworker who will guide you and educate you about the services that will be helpful to you. If you’re not local to one of our Ohio stores, we can start with a needs analysis over the phone and we can ship products across all 50 states.
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