In June 2023, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) [of the National Institutes of Health(NIH)] released a report on changes in the retina (the layer of cells lining the back wallof the inside the eye that perceives light and signals the brain so one can see) and theirrelationship to stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As noted … Continued
Editor’s note: This post is the last in our series for Older Americans Month. It represents a call to action to increase the availability of vision rehabilitation services for older people in this country. For years, the vision rehabilitation field has been talking about the tsunami of older people with vision loss coming our way. … Continued
The American Society on Aging is promoting this day to help reframe how we talk about aging and older people in a society where ageism is pervasive. Modeled after the United Nation’s International Day of Older Persons celebrated on Oct. 1, Ageism Awareness Day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the existence and impact of ageism … Continued
September is Fall Prevention Month, the perfect time to talk about preventing falls if you are blind or low vision. Between 2015 to 2050, the number of people 40 years and older who are blind or low vision will double (Varma, 2016). This statistic means the number of older people with vision loss will rise … Continued
For Helen Keller DeafBlind Awareness week, celebrated June 26-July 2, APH VisionAware is highlighting information on combined hearing and vision loss. To provide perspective on the magnitude of combined hearing and vision loss in this country, recent studies report that people who are blind or low vision are twice as likely to be deaf or … Continued
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are a heavy topic for a blog post. So why write about them? It’s Older Americans month and it is important for people to understand the major factors that shape their lives and affect them as they grow older. This post will discuss how these factors intersect with losing vision … Continued
The Administration on Community Living (ACL), who administers the Older Americans Act (OAA),recently announced the theme for Older Americans Month (May 2022) is Age My Way. The theme epitomizes ways older adults can remain in and stay involved with their communities. This theme is especially relevant for older people adjusting to vision changes, who often … Continued
National Mentoring Day was launched, “to recognize and celebrate the benefits of mentoring and takes place on October 27th each year with a key focus on recognizing excellence and raising awareness on the significant benefits of mentoring to encourage more people to get involved in mentoring.” Taking place on the 27th October each year, the day encourages events to take place throughout the World, … Continued
World Sight Day is held annually to focus global attention on vision impairment, including blindness. In 2021, World Sight Day is October 14th and the theme is “Love Your Eyes.” The International Agency for Prevention of Blindness wants everyone to make a pledge to protect their vision such as getting a comprehensive eye exam. Since COVID is at the forefront of everyone’s minds … Continued
Editor’s note: October 15 is White Cane Safety Day, so this month is a good time to talk about what you need to know about white canes and how useful they are when you are blind or visually impaired. This post is the third in our series on white cane awareness. To find out about the history of the … Continued