As Canadians live longer than ever before, chronic and age-related illness rates are skyrocketing. Nearly one in 10 Canadians aged 65+ now live with some form of dementia, for example, and the disease is a key reason why two-thirds of BC’s long-term care residents need round-the-clock support.
And while dementia is scary enough on its own, most Canadian seniors are living with two or three chronic illnesses at the same time. This can include heart disease, osteoarthritis and COPD, but also hearing loss, vision problems and a host of other issues. In combination, these illnesses can create truly unsettling conditions.
For instance, take a moment to look around you. Do you see the floor, the walls, windows or doors? Imagine for a moment what your life would be like if you couldn’t see these things. Imagine the floor and walls seemed to blend together, and you couldn’t tell the difference between a door and a window.
That’s what life can be like for seniors with diminished contrast sensitivity – an increasingly common vision problem in seniors aged 80+. To them, life is like driving on a foggy day. Images appear washed out, and individual shapes – like a stair on a staircase – get harder to distinguish from the background.
Add in dementia – a disease that robs seniors of their memories and reasoning skills – and navigating your way in the world becomes a constantly confusing, and sometimes terrifying, experience.
Eldercare is working hard to find ways to protect quality of life for a growing number of seniors
Moving into long-term care can be a challenging adjustment for seniors. They must get used to a new space, people and routines, without many of the familiar trappings of home. Imagine how stressful your life would be with a disease that causes confusion, in an unfamiliar building where doors and windows all look the same.
“In long-term care, seniors are out-of-sight and, for many, out-of-mind,” says Tom Arnold, executive director at Eldercare Foundation. “Our work is to shine a spotlight on this problem, and to raise money for the care and support they need. Fortunately, for seniors struggling with dementia and low vision, there’s a lot of exciting new research, technology and tools now available to help make them more comfortable.”
With donor support, Eldercare can bring important additions to long-term care facilities across Vancouver Island.
Here are just a few examples of new technology and tools to support seniors with dementia and low vision:
- Interactive murals that add contrast and colour to hallways and provide fun activities for seniors to play with
- Door murals and window stickers that make it easier for seniors to navigate and find the places they’re looking for
- Wall-mounted screens that – paired with wearable technology – detect when a senior is near and play familiar photos and videos (including those provided by family and friends)
- Wearable technology that automatically opens the doors they need to access, while keeping others that might cause confusion or other risks, safely closed.
Join Eldercare and help bring comfort, familiarity and support to some of our most vulnerable long-term care residents
Eldercare supporters know that for seniors in long-term care, it’s often the things not covered by our healthcare system that make the biggest difference. This includes home-like enhancements and technology that improve quality of life, therapy support, entertainment, and more. Join us to help seniors in long-term care have the best possible quality of life.
Learn more at www.gvef.org, call 250-370-5664 or email [email protected].
