Tips & Tricks Thursday was the first day of a trial run in the Facebook group of topic-of-the-day discussions to encourage members to participate.
With the holiday season soon upon us, I did some research about how those with visual impairments and those who are friends and family can help. Here are the links to the full articles. Below I’ve pulled out some of the ones I think are most helpful. The number at the end of the line refers to the article it was taken from.
- Top 10 Holiday Tips for Visually Impaired Seniors
- Thanksgiving Made Easy for a Single Visually Impaired Hostess
- Celebrating the Holidays Alone? Three Tips for Keeping Your Spirits Up and Enjoying Yourself
- Navigating the Holidays with Low Vision
- When visiting friends and family, bring along a flashlight to illuminate dark walkways and entryways. #1
- If company visits, ask them to remember to close cabinets, not to leave doors ajar, and to respect home organization. #1
- Going out to eat with friends can be fun. Organizing your cash beforehand can reduce confusion when paying your bill. Keep denominations in separate compartments of your wallet or have a system or folding bills for identification. #1
- Setting the Menu: After each invitation, I asked, “What is it that you have to have to make it a Thanksgiving dinner?” “Pumpkin pie? Good. You bring the pumpkin pie. Sweet potatoes? Okay. You bring the sweet potatoes. Collard greens? Seriously? Okay, then you bring the collard greens.” I cooked the turkey, only because it made sense to use my oven. #2
- Practice gratitude. Even though things may not be perfect in your life- it rarely is for anybody, make a list of all the things you are grateful for or that you appreciate in your life. Start with the basics- food, shelter, clean water, clothes, a bed to sleep in, a pet, television, internet, music… List as many things as you can and add at least one thing to the list every day through the end of the year. When you notice and acknowledge what you do have, you shift not only your attention to the positive, you also shift your attitude and elevate your spirits so you’ll go into the New Year with genuine enthusiasm and hopefulness. #3
- Lighting when visiting someone else: First, speak to your host about their lighting situation. If they are able to add extra lighting to your room or other areas of the house you will be using, then that might be helpful. Floor lamps can be easily moved for temporary lighting. You may also want to consider packing a few extra night lights to help find your boundaries in hallways and bathrooms. And try to reduce disorienting glare from TV or computer screens by turning them out of the way of direct sunlight. #4