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Date 26 april 2011
We are happy to present the results of the European Expert Meeting on Ageing People with Visual Impairment that was held at April 4-5 in Vught, the Netherlands.
The direct reason for this meeting was a request from ICEVI Europe to get the theme 'ageing people' more substantially on their conference agenda. Royal Dutch Visio supports this initiative and has organized the expert meeting.
All participants were welcomed by Hans Welling, chairman of ICEVI Europe. An introduction to the meeting [PDF 264 KB] was presented by Peter Verstraten.
The focus of this meeting was the sharing of best practices. Best Practices Sharing involves the capture, dissemination and sharing of a work method, process, or initiative to improve organizational effectiveness, service delivery and employee satisfaction. It has not been a scientific meeting but the focus was on methods, protocols, approaches and projects that are actually applied in practice.
One of the greatest benefits of membership of this group comes from sharing best practice. Naturally, this occurs through networking, but we also want to facilitate the sharing of best practice in other ways. E.g. through internet or by facilitating a community of practice on "aging people".
All presentations of the Expert Meeting have been converted to a best practice format, with the same labels.
Keywords: Lifelong study, exhibition on technical aids, financial support for > 65 years
Target group: > 65 years
New projects:
Combination of the purpose of the day centre and the existing services in the network of the Brailleliga.
Presenter: Mr. Roland Vrijdag, Brailleliga - Lique Braille, Belgium
Ronald.Vrydag@BRAILLE.BE
read full presentation Brailleliga [PDF 89,2 KB]
Keywords: cooperation with welfare organisation, expertise sharing
Target group: > 65 years
Bruggen van welzijnseffectiviteit (Bridges of increase of welfare), aim: in cooperation with home services creating a care-service for elderly people with a visual impairment at home.
Nationaal Project Vlaamsseniorenoogpunt (national project Flemish seniors viewpoint) Keep the quality of life of 120 severely visually impaired and blind people older than 60, up to standard and increase the autonomy and self-sufficiency at home, in order to postpone or even avoid hospitalization in ROB/RVT and even make the return to an autonomous life possible.
Expertise sharing
Share the expertise so that the elderly people can live at home (through cooperation between different services).
An inquiry of the clients from Licht en Liefde and an inquiry of the employees from the cooperating organisations resulted in:
Presenter: Mrs. Chris Roeygens, Licht en Liefde, Belgium
Roeygens.Chris@lichtenliefde.be
read full presentation Licht en Liefde [PDF 183 KB]
Keywords: education of staff, homes for visual impairment people
Target group: > 65 years
Elderly want to stay as independent as possible. In case of necessity of residential or day care facilities there are long waiting lists. Future elderly will have other/new wishes or request for support.
Training:
IBOS has an employee training for 10 days on specific VI themes. They train the staff of homes for visual impairment people.
Important: It's fixed content and maybe this is also a pitfall.
Another lessons learned:
Find staff with qualification not only on VI, but also on how to manage a difficult changing situation.
Try to change the attitude of the staff to be more involved in the personal situation of the elderly and their activities in their life. Like reading on 92 years old.
Presenter: Mr. Peter Rodney, IBOS, Denmark
PR@IBOS.DK
read full presentation Older people with a visual impairment [PDF 17,4 KB]
Keywords: services, additional impairments, low vision support at home
Target group: > 60
Elderly with visual impairments and/or hearing impairments and/or acquired brain injury.
Many services for people with VI combined with services for hearing impairment (6 out of 10) or brain injury. Extensive teams with many different professions.
VI elderly have much higher risks for depression, falls, malnutrition.
Other 'Mutualities' have a different approach. This one is participating in many other networks and out of the 6 low vision clinics in France this is the only one who delivers services at the homes of VI elderly.
Presenters:
Mr. John Harris & Mrs. Sylvie Ervé, Mutualité Française Anjou-Mayenne, France
johngharris@btopenworld.com & sylvie.erve@mfam49-53.fr
read full presentation Services of the Mutualité Française Anjou-Mayenne [PDF 1,49 MB]
Keywords: information and communication technology
Target group: All ages
CENTICH wants to promote autonomy:
They serve the whole gamma - children and adults. Not just limited to VI. Angers is the physical place where it will come together. The two other locations are Toulouse and Strasbourg.
CENTICH tasks:
Presenters: Mrs. Sylvie Ervé & Mr. John Harris, CENTICH, France
sylvie.erve@mfam49-53.fr
read full presentation CENTICH [PDF 37,9 KB]
Keywords: European Union, Life long learning
Target group: > 60 years
SensAge is being developed in response to:
Objectives:
Presenter: Mr. John Harris, Wales
johngharris@btopenworld.com
read full presentation SensAge [PDF 206 KB]
Keywords: social counselling, generation supermarket, eccentric viewing training
Target group: > 65 years, but not every intervention is financed.
The original focus was on employment but through time it shifted to elderly.
SFZ-Vision Centre provides several special services for elderly, such as:
In this centre they provide Eccentric Viewing training. The result for elderly is that they feel more self-confident in their mobility.
More services at home for seniors with VI.
Presenter: Mrs. Petra Oertel-Verweyen, SFZ Vision Centre, Germany
pverweyen@sfz-chemnitz.de
read full presentation SFZ [PDF 1,29 MB]
Keywords: evaluation, psychosocial counseling, networking
Target group: > 59 years
Development and evaluation of psychosocial counseling concept for visually impaired elderly beyond technical support.
Orchestration and amplification of segmented services with the help of this integrative concept.
Linkage to other programs for senior citizens in the municipality.
The counselor advises and accompanies VI elderly individually (basic counseling, 1) and is pivotal as link to other vision or senior specific services (network, 2). If more assistance is needed by the VI person optional services are planned (extension, 3).
Especially single living very old persons opted for more counseling sessions.
Counseling sessions show tranquilization of the situation and the orientation function of the counselor.
There is a clear need for psychosocial interventions but VI elderly do not often ask for that support.
Not personally present at the Expert Meeting, but presented on behalf of:
Author:
Mrs. Ines Himmelsbach, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
Himmelsbach@em.uni-frankfurt.de
read full presentation Innovative Counseling Program [PDF 1,33 MB]
Keywords: eye health care, low vision services
Target group: > 65 years
Overview of services in Hungary and especially of View Foundation
Rehabilitation for VI elderly:
Presenter: Mrs. Krisztina Kovács, View Foundation, Hungary
kkovacs.sza@gmail.com
read full presentation Rehabilitation service in Hungary [PDF 97,6 KB]
Keywords: statistics, services, retirement, screening process
Target group: > 67 years
Cooperation with nursing homes: ( have contact with al the 75 houses.)
Presenter: Mrs. Huld Magnúsdóttir, MIDSTOD, Iceland
huld@midstod.is
read full presentation Icelandic National Institute [PDF 812 KB]
Keywords: Key worker, peer support groups
Target group: > 60 years, majority of services users are 60+
Presenter: Mrs. Bláithín Gallagher, NCBI, Ireland
blaithin.gallagher@ncbi.ie
read full presentation NCBI [PDF 2,6 MB]
Keywords: inclusion, socio-economic situation, voting
Target group: > 60 years
Awareness raining campaigns to fight discrimination and increase participation.
Good practice in creating the conditions for participation in decision making through direct and secret vote, according to experiences in Romania.
First testing during a Congress of the Blind of Moldova in June 2010.
Then during a parliamentary election in November 2010, in one of the voting sectors.
From these experiences new options have been developed.
There is a national rehabilitation centre for people with VI since 5 years now in Moldova.
Presenter: Mrs. Tatiana Goraş, Moldavian Blind Union, Moldova
tatiana.gorash@gmail.com
read full presentation Moldova [PDF 814 KB]
Keywords: typhlo-gerontology
Target group: > 60 years
Many activities in the last 25 years:
National training course for elderly and subsequent workshops.
Rehabilitation workshop for elderly with VI.
Several publications, brochures and leaflets regarding elderly VI persons.
Training courses for experts working with elderly in PAB units.
Activation programmes for local and regional use.
Examples:
Workshops "Meeting of Generations".
Senior citizens' clubs.
Lectures, workshops and other activities together with a Third Age Academy.
Continuation of training courses and workshops.
Further cooperation with Third Age Universities
Establishing day social aid houses and family centres.
Lobby for beneficial legal regulations for elderly VI people.
Prepare and distribute PAB offer, outlining standards of services.
Not personally present at the Expert Meeting, but presented on behalf of:
Author:
Mrs. Elżbieta Oleksiak, Polish Association of the Blind, Poland
eoleksiak@pzn.org.pl
read full presentation PAB [PDF 863 KB]
Keywords: Quality of life, social programmes, physical health
Target group: Elderly VI profile in Russia
Average life expectancy is not high in RF: for women 73 years; for men 58 years.
According to the WHO classification, old age starts from 65 years, this is due to the fact that in most developed countries the retirement age established in this period. The retirement age in RF: for men 60 years, for women 55 years.
Three best practices (social programmes for elderly in general)
In 2010, in St. Petersburg hosted I-st International Forum - an exhibition of innovative technologies for the elderly and people with special social status.
The main objectives of the forum: familiarize the elderly and people with special social status with the possibilities of modern information technologies that are innovative for them now. The Forum will have an annual format.
Since 2008, established and approved by the Russian government the social program: "Grandma Online " - "Grandpa-online": free training computer literacy and information technologies for elderly people. Special classes are opened in public organizations, libraries, counseling centers, charitable organizations.
"Libraries - for the elder generation" Under the roof of libraries are opened 'Clubs of Elder Persons"
Presenter: Mrs. Liliya Plastunova, Resource Center "Low Vision", St. Petersburg, Russia
plastunova@yandex.ru
read full presentation Russia [PDF 238 KB]
Keywords: Comorbidity, dementia, dual sensory loss, neurological vision loss
Target group: older people
Older people are more likely to have a comorbid condition including vision loss. Therefore cooperation with others is a necessity. Examples are given concerning dementia, emotional support and care homes.
Good practice example with dementia. Aims: explore current care pathways, awareness raising, development of training programmes and joint planning of future services. One of the results is the development of a 'Low Vision Care Management Passport'.
Good practice example on dual sensory loss. Combined assessment of visual and hearing functions and of quality of life. 74% had deficits in hearing and vision together.
Good practice example on neurological vision loss. Use of an assessment and training programme developed by Neuro Vision Technology (Australia) with several benefits for all involved (patients, carers, partners, professionals).
Assessment screening regarding vision loss and dementia.
Further cooperation regarding dual sensory loss in an umbrella construction.
Further cooperation with stroke professionals.
Presenter: Mr. Alan Suttie, Fife Society for the Blind, Scotland / RNIB, UK
Alan.Suttie@fsbinsight.co.uk
read full presentation [PDF 2,1 KB]
Keywords: services, legislation
Target group: 70% of the clients are of senior age and can get service from the union
Services, Programmes and Activities for Elderly People with Visual Impairment.
Every year a Christmas holiday is organized for lonely elderly people.
Several activities organized by members themselves (dependent on members activity in each region)
Selfadvocacy
Development of self-advocacy among visually impaired
Internal grant programm
For local organizations
Presenters: Mr. Branislav Mamojka & Mr. Marián Horanič, UNSS, Slovakia
branislav.mamojka@unss.sk & horanic@unss.sk
read full presentation Slovak Blind Union [PDF 72,4 KB]
Target group: The Scandinavian countries have 20 million inhabitants and low vision (LV) service programs at approximately 70 LV centres with more than 500 professionals serving persons with LV. The average patient is a 75 years old woman with macula degeneration (AMD).
Developing new tools and methods for different levels of visual performance in dry AMD, (mostly age group 80+). In each level of the progressive disease the project presents pathways of assessment, training and mental comfort and awareness with individual variations. The material presented is published three languages. Persons with AMD will be more able to adjust to shorter working distance and using magnification step by step both at various distance.
Project SEEnior had its start up in December 2007. The first phase was an inventory period, where current ideas and methods used are investigated. In the next phase a range of tests and training materials are being developed - optical, non-optical and pre-optical methods in a close cooperation between Norwegian, Swedish and Danish LV therapists and optometrist. Production of material took in 2008 and a number of Scandinavian seminars were held in 2009.
From this strategy a wider and longitudinal EU financed study and project will be initiated. This work will evaluate and further develop the approach and the value of training with methods used in optometry and education today for patients with AMD.
It is a wish to continue this study on a broader European level.
Presenter: Mr. Krister Inde, Sweden
krister@inde.nu
read full presentation SEEnior [PDF 14 MB]
Keywords: ageing with MDVI, loneliness, Charles Bonnet Syndrome, screening, network
Target group: > 65 years, MDVI > 40.
The 'Ageing and MDVI'-project concerns four topics: 1) a training programme, 2) development op protocols for practice, 3) adaptations of the physical environment, and 4) support of the social network.
In the 'Loneliness'-project a training programme for visually impaired older adults has been developed and an accompanying workshop for professionals.
Concerning the Charles Bonnet Syndrome information material for professionals and clients had been developed and possibilities for individual support and a group approach have been presented.
The 'Eye for the Elderly'- project concerns: 1) building a local network, 2) implementation of vision screening in homes for the elderly, and 3) transfer of Visio expertise by: 1) training of staff, 2) accessibility advice, and 3) individual rehabilitation.
A new project has started on implementation of dementia assessment for MDVI clients. The 'Eye for the Elderly' manual will be used for setting up new local networks and screening programmes in the future.
Presenter: Mr. Peter Verstraten, Visio, the Netherlands
peterverstraten@visio.org
read full presentation Visio [PDF 1,23 KB]
Keywords: internet, information on age-related sight loss
Target group: > 65 years
In one of the ENVITER projects a free accessible website called My Vision has been developed for people with age-related sight loss, with 1) information on the ageing eye, importance of light and optical devices, 2) advice on contact and communication, individual adaptations and aids, psychosocial functioning, 3) computer use: helpful Windows settings, using screen magnifiers and screen readers, and 4) use of internet: social communication, shopping and banking, e-government and tax return.
ENVITER will continue European projects, including some specifically related to ageing people.
Presenter: Mr. Peter Verstraten, Enviter, Europe
www.enviter.org
read full presentation Enviter [PDF 1,41 MB]
Best Practices Sharing
Date 26 april 2011
Veenstra
Ontwikkeling & Innovatie
Amersfoortsestraatweg 180
1272 RR Huizen
Koninklijke Visio
expertisecentrum voor slechtziende en blinde mensen