Living independently can present unique challenges for someone who is blind or visually impaired. Someone with a visual impairment may be unable to identify potential obstacles, or receive visual safety alerts, so taking the extra steps necessary to ensure their health, safety and overall wellbeing whilst at home is important. If you are caring for someone with a visual impairment, there are practical things you can do to minimise risks and make sure they feel as confident and comfortable at home as possible.
Home security, alarms and alerts
Installing home security systems can help someone with a visual impairment to feel more secure at home. Video doorbells and smart door systems can be used to help someone identify when there is a visitor at the door or if a package is being delivered. By notifying the person with the sensory impairment, they can see who is at the door before opening it and avoid being startled by unexpected visitors. Your local authority may also provide community alarm services to support the person you care for to live safely and independently in their own home. They can find out more and apply for a community alarm here.
Keyless locks and motion detector lights can help someone with a visual impairment to get in and out of the house more easily. This is particularly important if they need to leave the house quickly or struggle to see in the dark.
Someone with a visual impairment will rely heavily on sounds and alarms to alert them to a danger well in advance of any emergency and so making sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are regularly tested and maintained is vital.
Review the layout of their home
When living with a sensory impairment, the layout of the home can have a big impact how comfortable and confident they feel in their home. When reviewing the layout of the home, they are some small changes which can be made to help. For example, using different textures on the floor and walls can help identify different zones in the house, and if the person you care for uses a cane, stick-on textured and highly visible linear strips on the floor could support them in following certain routes around your home.
It is also important to ensure that walkways are always clear by clearing clutter and moving any furniture that sticks out will prevent tripping hazards. This will mean the person you care for can navigate their home easily and get to exits swiftly when they need to.
In addition to this, organising belongings so they are easily accessible for the person you care for is a good idea. You might use containers with different textured lids or put labels in Braille on certain drawers and shelves for easy identification. You can keep things consistent by always keeping things in the same place, and this will make finding objects they use regularly straightforward.
Home adaptations
There are also a number of home adaptations which can be made to help someone with a visual impairment to live independently at home.
Ensuring that lighting is sufficient and evenly distributed throughout the home ensures optimal visibility for the person you care for. Using motion sensors and adjustable lighting options also means they can adapt the lights to their varying preferences and needs.
Handrails and grab rails can often be a great addition to the home for someone who is visually impaired. They offer someone a physical point of reference allowing them to home on and feel secure as they navigate around the home. For example, continuous handrails on either side of the stairs or grab rails in the bathroom can help someone to avoid falls in these high risk places.
Tactile markers, like textured tape or raised dots, can also be a great way to help someone identify different areas within their home. They can also be used to indicate important areas or objects in your home, like light switches, door handles and kitchen appliances.
If the person you care for needs extra support to identify certain objects, tactile labels, Braille stickers, shelf dividers and talking laundry labels are all simple and effective ways to help. There are also certain phone apps like TapTapSee or Seeing AI which can take a photo or video of objects, text and even people, and verbally report what they detect.
Other changes to make at home
There are also a number of other changes which can be useful such as non-slip flooring and mats in the kitchen and bathroom, and changing the colour scheme in the home so that rooms can be seen more easily.
Voice activated home systems can also be hugely valuable for someone with a visual impairment. Alexa, Google Home and Siri are all capable of following commands spoken to them such as setting reminders, playing music and turning on lights. Alternatively an accessible radio can be great for people with a visual impairment who enjoy music, but cannot read standard labels on a radio.
Plan for emergencies
When supporting someone to live independently at home, it is also important to consider having a plan in place for if, and when, emergencies arise. For someone with a visual impairment, this might also include creating a communication plan. Having this in place can bring peace of mind to everyone involved.
As part of emergency planning, it can be helpful to put together a list of emergency contact numbers for the individual with the visual impairment to use. Whether at home, or in bag on them, having these contacts clearly marked with braille stickers or programmed into an accessible mobile phone can ensure that they can access support when they need to.
It can also be helpful to consider registering with local emergency services, providing them with information about the individual, their home situation and their visual impairment so they know how best to support them in case of emergency.
It is also possible to book a free Safe and Well check with your local Fire Service. A team will come to visit and offer he person you care for advice to help make their home a safer place. They can also provide specialist equipment and draw up the best fire escape plan for use in case of an emergency, like having a tactile indicator on the wall or floor that leads to the safest exit.
Creating an easily-accessible document which outlines the details of their sensory impairment and other important information like favoured communication strategies can be very helpful in an emergency. Some people with a visual impairment also find that carrying a medical ID bracelet or an ID card that lets others know essential information can be very useful, communicating information about their condition and specific needs simply and discreetly.
If thinking about planning for emergencies, it can also be helpful to think about having some of the essentials easily available, like having a go bag. In any case, having extra batteries and charged battery packs on hand, especially if the person you care for relies heavily on technology to support them, can be a simple but very useful strategy to manage when a situation arises.
Build a support network
For anyone living independently at home, having a positive network of friends, neighbours and professionals can help to ensure there is always someone on hand to support if needed. This can go a long way to help you and the person you care for feel more relaxed and confident. You could also support the person you care for to find peer support groups, social clubs, and community activities they enjoy to maintain their independence and feel connected, purposeful and inspired.
Communication tools
There are a wide range of tools which someone with a visual impairment can use to communicate with those around them. We have an article which goes into more detail on this here but the types of tools include accessible phones, talk to text software and transcription tools. This help someone with a visual impairment to complete daily tasks which require reading independently and to communicate with others via text or other written formats.
The role of service animals
In some circumstances, a service animal can provide invaluable support for someone with a visual impairment who wants to live independently at home. Our article here goes into this in greater depth if this is something you might like to explore.
These are just some of the simple, practical strategies which can be put into place to support the person you care for to live confidently and securely at home and give you peace of mind as their carer, especially if you provide care from a distance.