In-home Occupational Therapy Now Available for Persons with Low Vision In Southern Illinois
by Stephanie Malench
Residents who live in Madison and St. Clair Counties and have been diagnosed with low vision now have the opportunity to receive in-home occupational therapy through the Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired out of St. Louis. Illinois residents who live in outlying areas can make arrangements with Gina Cusac, the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant serving the Metro East, to meet at partner organizations such as MindsEye (Belleville), LINC (Fairview Heights), and Impact (Alton). For those who cannot get to a satellite office, remote training of tools is available.
The in-home occupational therapy program was developed two years ago with grant funding from the Lutheran Foundation and serves approximately 1,100 each year with an increasing number located in Illinois.
Occupational therapy (OT) for persons with low vision helps enhance the person’s performance with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as reading the mail, writing, cooking/meal prep, home organization, home safety, glare, money management, telling time, matching clothes, and medication management.
While the Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired serves clients of all ages, they focus on adults 18 and over since several organizations specialize in serving children.
The first step in the process is a referral from the client, their family, or doctor. While it is preferred to have the intake appointment with the doctor and occupational therapy evaluation at the St. Louis office, tele-health is available for these appointments.
During the first in-home session, the occupational therapist assesses the client’s home for safety issues that can lead to accidents or injuries, such as lighting, tripping hazards, and other hazards and how to use optical aids such as screen magnifiers, high-contrast and large font keyboards, kitchen gadgets such as alarms for filling cups or boiling water, finger guards and high contrast cutting boards, large print electronics, lighting, and more.
During the next session, the OT works on strategies to help the client with strategies for cooking, taking medications, writing checks, telling time, and other tasks necessary for living independently. The tools that the OT brings are either free, available through insurance, or available on a sliding fee scale from the Sight Solutions Shop at the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired office at 8770 Manchester Rd. in Brentwood, MO. There are no one-size fits all devices, so the OT will bring several options for the client to try.
The third session focuses on educating the client on community resources and how to navigate their home safely. Additional sessions are available to help the client revisit any of the previous topics or address further needs.
The Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired is looking for opportunities in Illinois to speak about their services to community groups, especially Lions Clubs, that may also have volunteers to bring clients to the clinic for their intake or partner organizations for appointments or want to contribute in another way. To schedule a presentation for your group, contact Megan Connelly at (314)301-7305.
The Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired was founded in 1911 and is a 501(c)3 that accepts donations as well as most insurance including Medicare but will not turn anyone away for an inability to pay.
