Abstract
Purpose:
Older adults with visual impairment are vulnerable to social isolation and associated health risks. The MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre runs a Day Centre program whose objectives are to maintain or improve the seniors’ biological, psychological, and social health, and foster a better quality of life, while delaying or avoiding institutionalization. Activities include walking groups, language courses, memory games, crafts and theme parties, supervised by an interdisciplinary team, including a nurse, social worker and occupational therapist. Services include medical and rehabilitation follow-up and referrals to additional community resources. The present study evaluates the impact the Day Centre has on the holistic health of older adults with visual impairment.
Methods:
Between September 2011 and October 2012, 16 newly referred clients in the Day Centre (age 71 to 98, M = 85, VA 20/50 to NLP, M = 20/126) were evaluated at intake, and after 6 months, using the Visual Function Questionnaire-14, Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Friendship Scale, Life-Space Questionnaire, Activity-specific Balance Confidence scale, Timed-Up-and- Go Test, and the adapted Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Acuity, visual field, and average decibel hearing loss were recorded.
Results:
All participants continued to live independently in the community 6 months after entering the Day Centre. Comorbid conditions included high blood pressure, asthma, cardiac problems, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis, and anxiety. Participants reported statistically unchanged scores on all the measures, except for increased GDS scores (p < .05) and a trend towards improvement on the MoCA (p = .06).
Conclusions:
Considering the fragility, vulnerability and age of this population, the data indicate that the Day Centre fulfills its mandate to prevent decline in its clients’ biological, psychological, and social health. We speculate that the increase in depression scores is linked to serious life events during the follow-up period for some of the participants, such as loss of a spouse. Participation in adapted Day Centre activities, as an integrated part of rehabilitation services, seems to support independent living in older adults with vision loss.