Occupational Therapy Approach to Blind Adults on How to Guide Them in Everyday Tasks

Occupational Therapy Approach to Blind Adults on How to Guide Them in Everyday Tasks
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The number of blind adults has been increasing rapidly. The increased number may be attributed to health, dietary and genetic factors. The effects of low vision can be detrimental to a person`s life. However, people should accept the fact that blind people can be helped to cope up with challenges in life through occupation therapy and guidance. Blind people can improve their quality of life through a variety of adaptive aids and rehabilitation services to train them how to utilize low vision effectively.
More than 19 million Americans are experiencing blindness. Visual impairment is one of the top 10 disabilities among adults, with the elderly being the most vulnerable. Older adults with blindness are four times likely to encounter difficulties in completing ADLs (activities for daily living than adults with normal vision. The daily activities include taking a walk, preparing meals and managing medications. Occupation therapy stresses on reducing the effects of blindness by promoting participation in valued activities and enhancing independence (Everson, 1995).
Occupation refers to activities that one expects to do and has meaning to him or her. Occupation therapy is usually conducted by occupation therapy practitioners who address numerous dimensions of visual disabilities that include psychological, cognitive, physical and social barriers that prevent adults from participating in daily activities. Occupation therapy practitioner works to ensure that adults with visual impairment take part and place in their community even though they may have disabilities and be subjected to social stigma. In additional, occupation therapy practitioners are part of coordination rehabilitation team that is aimed at enabling blind adults to acquire productive employment and continuous independent living (O'Hagan &Great Britain,1998).Occupation therapy is essential in enabling activity analysis and modification of the environment to establish how blindness limits an individual`s capability to undertake essential daily tasks. Occupational therapy modifies the environment and tasks to remove and minimize the barriers. For instance, a task may be structured to eradicate a vision dependent step in order to suit the needs of the visually impaired person. For instance, programming a telephone to make speed dial number in case an individual faces an emergency is an example of steps undertaken to improve the quality of life of a blind adult. The therapy also assists in evaluating the environment where an individual undertakes his or her activity to determine those things that inhibit or promote safety, participation and independence so as to come up with recommendations and develop modifications. In addition, occupation therapy assists in developing assistive technology and adaptive devices to enable blind adults to use non optical and optical devices to undertake and complete activities for daily living.
Challenges faced by blind adults
Everyone, whether blind or not encounters life challenges in different forms. The effects of blindness have a direct consequence on the level of assistance needed. Some of the challenges that a blind person or a low vision person may face after diagnosis of the disability include selecting the device needed in assisting the individual  and the right type of assistance, making decisions about the present employment, lifestyle and future plans, developing and maintaining confidence in their  ability to conduct everyday activities, learning new skills and adapting to new technology and devices, and adapting to critical issues in a supportive and calm environment(Everson, 1995). Blindness not only affects them in one or the few things mentioned above but it can be categorized to realize the challenges faced by the blind in everything they do through out their life time.
For instance blind people try to make themselves friendly to the environment but on the other hand they fell opposed since those who are low vision or completely blind often find it intricate to self-navigate outside. In this case, physical movement is one of the challenges that the blind persons faces every day. For instance, World Access for the blind, walking down a street which is much crowded really poses difficulty and for this case one will have no option but to have a friend or a family member to guide them. In other cases, they are faced with the challenges of not doing their things at their own willing time since friends or family members are sometimes not close to help or even some get uninterested in helping them therefore doing what they want to do on other people`s best time and not their own.
The other challenge that blind people face is the social challenge. In this case, it`s a fact that blindness causes social challenge more so in the carried activities that a blind person cannot take part. On the other hand blindness does affect a person`s ability to perform many duties and this do limit them opportunities for employment and this not only affects them financially but also lower their self esteem.  Blindness affects people and due to lack of self esteem in them they are much affected such that they find it difficulties with participating in activities outside workplace in activities like academics, sports among other social activities hence the blind persons are denied opportunities to meet new persons and interact with them something that makes their self esteem to worsen.
Though it has brought change to the way of living of every individual, technology is another waft for the blind people since right from computers to cell phones, internet is one of the channel that is mostly used and in this case, a blind person cannot be in a position to do research on his own since internet requires one to read on the screen. Though there are screen reading software`s for the blind, this will requires more time to learn the process hence becomes unfriendly to them a prove of how blind persons face challenges in their daily routine.
Impact of adult blindness
Blindness affects independence and quality of life. The impact may be manageable or may be difficult in such a way that it may require more support, time and patience. The level of visual disability will influence the level in which the quality of life is affected. The impact of blindness varies and may depend on a number of factors that may include possible social isolation that may occur as a result of depression, psychological impacts such as confusion, anxiety and feeling of helplessness, reduced ability to undertake normal, daily activities, and financial implication when seeking medication and other forms of care (O'Hagan &Great Britain, 1998).  Though one may be encouraged to face the truth and accept that they have become blind, it is nervous tension to accept such an occurrence in one`s life but this is what is needed for one to continue his life though with difficulties. Several impacts faces people who become blind and they become substantial. For instance, people who experience vision loss, considerable psychosocial and functional consequences can occur including social isolation, function disability, diminished productivity and a loss in quality of life, depression being one of the prevailing factors challenging the people with vision loss.
Adult blindness not only has impact to those with the challenge but also to the economy of any given county. For instance, the rate at which people with vision impairment is growing at is at alarming rate and therefore new devices are required to be given to them so that they can be taught and be able to adapt to their situation
 
Guide for care
Provision of care to blind people is not an easy task. Understanding how to proceed when there is no clear pathway to follow may be a daunting task. When developing a plan to offer care, the person offering the primary care should be given the first priority. Other factors to be considered are the type of care needed and the support team (Helal, International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence, & Mann).
When care is needed, it may be organized initially by friends and family members. This may be a temporal duty that may require ongoing commitment or initial action. At first a friend or family member may assume the role of a career because they may feel obliged or responsible to do so. However, initial career may not continue this duty permanently and so a primary career may undertake this role (O'Hagan &Great Britain, 1998).
The most important starting point is to identif...