by admin | Feb 8, 2019 | Program
Sheila gave up reading, cooking, and independent outings when age-related macular degeneration severely affected her vision.
With no sight in her left eye and only peripheral vision in her right, her world shrunk. “It was really hard to accept at the beginning. I suddenly needed help with everything,” the 88-year-old widow said. Sheila’s outlook has changed since completing six sessions of low vision occupational therapy at Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey. “It’s certainly given me more confidence,” Sheila said after a recent session with Vision Loss Alliance Program Director Elsa Zavoda, an occupational therapist certified in low vision by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Sheila has learned about the importance of room lighting and cutting down glare with special glasses. Using a headlamp and handheld magnifier recommended by Zavoda, “I’m able to read more than I thought,” she said. Zavoda suggested replacing her shade lamps with torchiere lamps strategically placed in her living room and bedroom. “That has really brightened her apartment,” Sheila’s daughter, Fran, said. She’s also cooking again, having learned techniques that keep her safe in the kitchen. The night before, she’d cooked a chicken cutlet and baked potato. “She hadn’t cooked for herself in a long time, and now she’s doing it, and doing it well,” Fran said.
Vision Loss Alliance started offering low vision occupational therapy over the summer to train people to optimize their remaining vision. “Vision loss doesn’t mean life has to stop,” Zavoda said. “People dealing with it can adapt, learning to do things differently.” Zavoda assesses participants’ current vision and life circumstances to help prioritize their goals, and tailors the hour-long sessions to those goals. Safety, cooking, grooming, medication management, paying bills, reading, appropriate lighting, watching television, and using the computer, are among the activities covered. Many health insurance plans cover the cost of low vision occupational therapy.
Occupational therapy is opening her world. Sheila said she may try the dining room at the Basking Ridge senior community where she lives and start taking the community bus to the grocery store and use the magnifier to read food labels. “Before my mom came here, she didn’t have confidence, so she wasn’t trying things,” her daughter said. “Now she realizes there’s a lot she can do.” “This has been a great experience,” Sheila said. “I’ve gotten so much out of it!”
by admin | Jan 4, 2019 | Blog, News
January 4 marks a special day in the world of blindness. It is the birthday of Louis Braille, educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by people who are blind or low vision, known worldwide as Braille.
Thus, today is celebrated as #WorldBrailleDay, to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.
Interested in learning Braille or know someone who could benefit from learning it? Get in touch with us by calling 973-627-0055 ext. 1312.
by admin | Sep 19, 2018 | Events
Join us on October 25 as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary with our second Dining in the Dark gala event. Sponsorships and tickets are still available. For more information contact Jayson Daniels, Director of Development, at (973) 627-0055 ext. 1323 or jdaniels@vlanj.org
We will be honoring President and CEO of MyLimo and Gogel Auto
Howard Gogel
and
Bruce Van Buskirk
for their support of Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey.
Our emcee for the evening will be
Joyce Estey
News Director of WRNJ Radio
Cocktails and silent auction 6:00pm
Dinner and program 7:00pm
Cocktail Attire
For information on event sponsorships or to reserve your spot in our ad journal, download the brochure here.
by admin | Jul 11, 2018 | News, Press
Vision loss is a serious problem that will continue to grow as the population ages and cases of age-related eye diseases increase. Blindness and vision loss currently affect more than 160,000 New Jersey residents, and nationwide, the number of people affected is expected to double to more than 8 million by 2050, according to the National Eye Institute.
Throughout our 75-year history, Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has been a thought leader in the programs and services offered to those with profound vision loss. What began as a summer residential camp for blind women has grown into an organization that offers unique state-of-the-art programs. Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has been ahead of its time every step of the way.
Through our programs and services, in 2018 we:
- Provided vision rehabilitation, technology and peer support programs to 225 individuals
- Educated and trained 1,000 individuals in our outreach program
- Launched a Low Vision Continuing Education course for occupational therapists
- Launched Low Vision Occupational Therapy Services to help individuals maximize their functional vision, and which is approved by Medicare, Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and United Healthcare, with Cigna pending
If you need help call us at (973) 627-0055, ext 1312, email us at info@vlanj.org, or visit us at 155 Morris Ave, Denville NJ.
by admin | May 30, 2018 | News
Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey recently added low vision occupational therapy to its services, offering one-on-one sessions at its Denville location to help adults losing their sight learn adaptive skills and optimize their remaining vision.
“Vision loss doesn’t mean life has to stop. People dealing with it have to adjust and adapt, learning to do things differently,” Vision Loss Alliance Program Director Elsa Zavoda said. “Through occupational therapy, adults can learn tools and strategies to engage in the activities they enjoy.”
Adding low vision occupational therapy is a natural extension of Vision Loss Alliance’s offerings, Zavoda said. For 75 years, the nonprofit has been empowering adults with vision loss through group classes that teach skills for independence and help participants improve their physical and emotional health.
“This service will help fill an unmet need for an underserved and growing population in New Jersey,” said Zavoda, one of only two occupational therapists in New Jersey certified in low vision by the American Occupational Therapy Association. More than 160,000 New Jersey residents are either blind or have severe vision loss, and that number is expected to increase as the population ages. Adults age 60 and over make up 20 percent of the state’s residents, but that percentage is projected to grow to 26 percent by 2030.
One of the program’s major goals is to teach people how to maximize the vision they still have, she said. Zavoda will assess participants’ current vision and life circumstances to help prioritize their goals for therapy. “It’s a very self-directed course, individualized to each person, she said.
Occupational therapy participants will attend hour-long sessions weekly or biweekly, Zavoda said. The program covers “anything in a person’s life that is affected by their vision loss,” Zavoda said. That includes home safety, cooking, grooming, medication management, paying bills, reading, appropriate lighting, watching television, and using the computer. Most participants will complete the therapy in four to six sessions, she said.
Low vision rehabilitation services are covered by Medicare and private insurances. Vision Loss Alliance helps those interested determine if their policy covers the service.
