Gift Idea - Vision Challenges

[rutamattatt]

Can y'all stand one more gift idea question?

 

My dad works second shift, which leaves my mom home alone most evenings.  She is no longer able to drive after dusk because of some fairly significant vision issues.  They live in the snow belt, and she dreads the winter evenings.  They feel so long and lonely to her, and she is trapped inside with no way to get out.  She struggled with depression last winter.

 

I want to get her a gift that will help fill some of her evening time, but I'm struggling to think of something she might enjoy that won't be affected by her limited vision.  Besides audiobooks, what are some things she might be able to learn, do, enjoy that won't be affected by her vision loss?  I want to try and be sensitive to that because she is really struggling with losing her sight.

 

 

[MedicMom]

When my vision was very bad before I got corneal transplants, I appreciated my kindle(I could adjust the size) and fuzzy socks.

 

Mostly I just really like warm socks, though.

[Alicia64]

When my vision was very bad before I got corneal transplants, I appreciated my kindle(I could adjust the size) and fuzzy socks.

 

Mostly I just really like warm socks, though.

 

I totally agree about the Kindle. Can you load it up with audiobooks, music? (I really think that music is a great healer.)

 

I know that this needs to be her decision, but would she love a small dog or a cat? So that she's not entirely alone at night?

 

Will you tell her about Brooke Castillo's podcasts? They're awesome.

 

Alley

[prairiewindmomma]

A kindle can boost up the font size quite a bit, but even better is an iPad (not mini) with the Kindle app. You can read at a very large font size there, and if she uses an app like Bookshare, she can even have it read to her without having to buy expensive audiobooks.

 

Many people crochet or knit by feel.  It's often a matter of simple counting if she's content to make blankets or scarves.

 

My daughter who had low vision (counting fingers--which is a technical term for when you can see more than light/dark but not by much) still enjoyed drawing. She learned to do this by feel as well.  We taped art paper to the table.  She would reference the tape to understand placement on the paper.  Obviously this was more shape/color driven than the fine nuances of pencil drawing, but getting a chance to express her feelings was very important to her.  Oil pastels was a good medium for her.

 

Cooking was also a good outlet for her, particularly baking which didn't involve sharp knife work.

 

Has your mother reached out to the services for the blind in her area?  There really is a lot she can do to transition while she still has some vision left.  Some people have a hard time reaching the point of wanting to learn transitional skills, but one can generally do a lot more than one would think.

[TechWife]

iPad or iPad mini - they have a lot of great features for people with low/no vision. Voice interface, ability to change background to black w/white font, font size and I think there's more. For a time there was a gentleman that was visually impaired that worked at our Apple store and he was able to make use of many of the features on the iPad through voice commands. 

 

 

[maize]

Don't know what your price range is but I would consider an Amazon Echo with an Audible subscription. Voice controls, a variety of "skills", play audio books and music, and maybe she'll enjoy talking to "Alexa" when the house feels lonely. I like being to ask her to remind me of stuff, tell me the weather forecast, check random facts, etc.

[I talk to the trees]

Would she be interested in learning to play a musical instrument? The Suzuki method teaches through listening and repetition, and only introduces reading of music once basic playing/listening skills are secure. If she is willing to take some lessons, she could develop the ability to play some favorite tunes by ear.