Tag: safety

Be Prepared

I have decided a poor memory and poor vision leading to no driving is a bad combination. Once again what I planned to work on got left at the office. Really thought it was in my bag.

I have been roaming the house, picking things up, doing laundry and filling the dishwasher but we all know keeping house is not my shtick. (Just take a look at this place!) I did bring one file home to work on. Should do it but I have these articles on disaster and the visually impaired that I ran off, so…

Sue redux! Explain to me why I thought I had actually shut up!

Disasters – and this time I am not talking about my housekeeping – and visual impairment are another nasty combination. According to a 2007 American Public Health Association article, eye injuries are very common during and after all kinds of disasters but yet, at least ten years ago, most emergency response teams know very little about managing eye injury and other problems.

I looked for more recent articles saying they had beefed up the eye injury training for first responders in the last ten years. I found nada. That means these people could very well be scrambling to deal with stuff like penetrating eye wounds, chemical exposure and retinal detachment, not to mention infections and other such things with very little training and materials to do the job. And that means, my dears, we with our progressive vision loss condition are on our own. Not that I would not want the guy with the pierced eye ball to go ahead of me in line, mind you. Just saying, we need to expect to be very low priority.

Wisefamilyeye.com – love your logo! – did a page on preparing an eye emergency kit and putting it in your go bag. They suggest spare, impact resistant glasses. I suggest also having a copy of your eyeglass prescription. You might want to store it in drafts in your email so you can access it from anyone’s device. Wisefamilyeye.com also suggested safety goggles and sunglasses, artificial tears and saline solution (you might want to add an eye cup if you have one) and at least two weeks of prescription eye drops.

I already touched on clean-up with my mention of my bout with flood mud crud. Flood water contains EVERYTHING you can think of. Sewer plants and chemical plants cannot get out of the way so everything they contained will come to you. Safety goggles are a must. Protective clothing, such as heavy rubber gloves and thick soled boot if you can find any. And face masks. Face masks are good.

Essentially, disaster preparedness is just that: being prepared. The American Federation of the Blind put together their own checklist. Their list included having emergency numbers nearby and knowing who to call to get yourself evacuated asap. This could be either a buddy, the local authorities or, even better, both. Let people outside of your area know your predicament and that you might be coming to visit!

If you have a service animal – or any animal! – make plans for him or her as well. Reasonably sure evacuation services and shelters must take service animals. They do not have to take pets and rumor has it, many people recently refused to go to shelters rather than leave pets behind. Do not allow yourself or your animals to be in that position.

If recent events are any indication, we can expect to have more (and more?) disasters as time goes on. Be prepared.

September 30th, 2017 Continue reading “Be Prepared”

Real Winter

The northeast appears to be getting a little snow today (March 14th). The storm, Stella, is starting to taper but it is still snowing at a decent clip. We have maybe 18 inches on the ground.

They were predicting this would be the worst storm since the Winter of 1993. There is a whole generation out there who has never experienced a ‘real Winter’. Well, when I was a girl, we had snows that….huh? OK, sorry.

I tried to take advantage of the snow today. I got the cross-country gear out. First time I was out for 20 minutes and ‘somehow’ the Beastie Baby got let out the front door. Of course she ran right down the middle of the road following me. Had to take her home.

The second time I went out I was skiing into the wind. My glasses iced up and I could see nothing. There is an invention opportunity for someone: glasses with defrosters.

All told I probably got 45 minutes out on my skis. Literally on the road. Sometimes lax road maintenance can be a good thing.

Now, I have been told I am strange hundreds of times. One reason people tell me that is I actually enjoy Winter. But what about people who don’t? What about people who are not prepared for bad weather? Maybe people who are older and/or have low vision, for example?

I found a short article by Set Your Sights. It was entitled Winter Weather Tips for People with Low Vision. Once again a title that is highly functional but not highly creative. We need to get Lin to make a few suggestions to some of these people. [Lin/Linda: sorry, I only have enough creativity to do our titles!]

Be that as it may, this article suggests a safety tip for your white cane if you are a cane user. It also suggests safe, sturdy footwear. Remember the ‘chains’ the orientation and mobility guy gave me? They should work. Make sure the drivers can see you especially if you cannot see them. Walking Beastie Baby after dark I use a basic, yellow reflective vest. I got mine at Walmart, but there is a collection of them on Amazon, starting at about $6.

The article also has some suggestions for those who hunker down and stay home in this weather. Do you have a list of emergency numbers? Is your phone charged? Do you have an emergency kit with a flashlight? How about another way to get heat?

The first article I found links to a second article. It is ready.gov/winter-weather. This site has a whole LOT of suggestions including a list of things you should have in your emergency kit. Actually good for anyone to read, especially those who may be new to ‘real’ Winter weather.

So, for you ‘normal’ people who do not like the Winter, I hope that some of these suggestions are helpful and keep you warm and safe. You abnormal people? I will probably be out again tomorrow. Anyone want to cross-country ski? Continue reading “Real Winter”

Kung Fu Fighting

[Here’s a reference to a more contemporary song than we usually use! Kung Fu Fighting.]

It is mid-October in real-time. Here in the States, on the election front, we are hearing about bad behavior. A lot of the bad behavior they are talking about has had women as the targets.

Sir John Dalberg-Acton is credited with saying “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Add to that the fact sexual assault is generally believed to be a crime of power and control and you have a very nasty mix. One has power. The other does not. Throughout history this has led to a perpetrator and victim relationship an uncountable number of times.

I bring this up not because of the political scene – I will remain mute about that – but because we seem to have the problem locally. There are rumors one of the transportation drivers is soliciting passengers! He is said to be doing this in a rather vulgar fashion.

In classic form, he is targeting women whom he sees as having little power. The rumors say he has approached addicts and women of color.

I do not know which driver the rumors are about. I do not think he will approach me. I present myself as confident and competent. They take me to professional jobs….I have a lot of vision left.

But what happens when my vision gets much worse? Will the power balance shift? Will people who get their jollies from abusing a power differential see me as a victim?

I have no great desire to live in fear of people who think it is fun or makes them important to prey on those with a disability. Just the same, loss of a sense means a loss of power. How does one try to keep the balance a bit more even?

In the modern way of getting information, I did a web search. There were some suggestions that sounded like they would be a lot of fun. Cane-Fu (think Kung Fu), Grasshopper, is said to increase physical fitness and confidence. A white cane can be a great weapon of opportunity and used to trip and smack shins. Like I said, sounds like fun☺.

The American Council for the Blind endorses a program called 1 Touch. According to the article, the program was developed in London by a martial arts instructor, Stephen Nicholls. The technique uses balance, coordination and dexterity as well as situational awareness. The article talks about using leverage and joint locks.

All of which is great but suggests to me that having to use this technique means things have escalated way above where I would want them to be. I prefer not to have to engage in hand-to-hand combat!

Since I prefer to avoid a problem rather than defend myself physically, I offer as kinder and gentler options with some suggestions as made by Peter Shankman in How to Avoid Being a Victim Anywhere, Anytime. Shankman suggested things like not developing patterns of travel and both knowing and being aware of surroundings.

Situational awareness is priceless. Also priceless is your ‘gut’. Listen to what it is telling you. If you sense danger, get away!

Things like carrying a whistle and having a buddy system are important. Don’t fumble for keys, etc.

Equally important is not looking like a victim. Try to keep your head up. Keep as close to the center of the walkway as you can when walking. Try not to look helpless or fearful. Be confident. Maintain your dignity.

Keep your power. Present yourself as someone they would not want to tangle with. Attitude will serve you well. Continue reading “Kung Fu Fighting”

The Attack of the Dishwasher

I left the dishwasher open last evening…..see it coming? Good. I always knew you guys were smart.  Went out to the kitchen in the dark and fell over it. I am glad all I did was boo boo my leg. Afterwards I had the thought I could have fallen on the dishwasher and torn the door off. It could have been $600 or $700 for a new dishwasher. Now THAT is an ouchy.

This is actually a very minor boo boo. I was lucky! Many falls and head-level injuries result in the need for medical attention. I also see I need to moisturize my legs and shave more thoroughly…but that is a different page! In the words of Hill Street Blues: “Let’s roll and, hey, let’s be careful out there. ”

The short version of this lesson is “Don’t do that!” The longer version is “don’t leave obstacles in your own way, don’t fumble around in the dark and work on your strength and balance so you can recover and not destroy expensive appliances.” I did not follow advice on the first two out of three.

American Federation for the Blind has a nice article called A Checklist for Environmental Safety. The article highlights things like having good light and keeping chairs – and dishwasher doors! – pushed in.

A study done in 2011 was the only study concerning mobility-related accidents experienced by people with visual impairment I found. It had the catchy title of Mobility-Related Accidents Experience by People with Visual Impairment. The authors were Manduchi and Kurniawan.

The article reported previous research had established the visually impaired are at a higher risk for injury from falls than the general population.  (Do I even have to say it????? Duh, really? And yes I know some research does debunk ‘common sense’ but my boo boo suggests we don’t belabor the obvious.)

These authors decided to study head-level accidents.  Turned out 13% of the blind experienced head-level accidents at least once a month! This was in comparison to 7% taking falls. Those with dogs fared better overall than cane users.

Another interesting finding?  Those who traveled more outdoors did not appear to be having significantly more head-level or falling accidents than those who left their houses less frequently.

Bottom line on this? Watch out for stray furniture – and dishwasher doors – that jump out of nowhere to trip you, but while you are doing that, watch your head!  It may be the dishwasher is in cahoots with the cupboard door. Watching what the dishwasher is doing, you may discover the cupboard door is launching an attack!

Also, outdoor hazards did not prove to be any worse than the ones indoors, so once in a while it might be nice to get outside.

I intend to go outside to play more very soon. The orientation and mobility guy just called. He is visiting in three days!?? Yippee!!!!!

written 7/31/2016

Continue reading “The Attack of the Dishwasher”

Highlight: How can I adapt my home so I can be safe and independent?

It is so frustrating not be able to do things at home that you might have been able to do in the past and do safely.

  • Have you burned something on the stove or in the oven or in the microwave?
  • Have you twisted your ankle because you missed a step that you used to be able to see?
  • Are you able to find clothes in the closet that go together?
  • Have you poured orange juice over your cereal because you thought you had the milk carton which looks a lot like the juice carton?
  • Can you find the switch plates on the wall?
  • Have you fallen over furniture?
  • Have you burnt yourself trying to make a pot of coffee?
  • Have you tripped over dark-colored throw rugs on dark-colored floors?
  • Have you been unable to tell if the toilet seat is up so you’ve sat down in the toilet bowl?
  • Do you misplace the magnifying glass when you need to read the instructions on a medication bottle?

It’s true that even those with full sight have done some of those things, some of which are funny at the time, but it can be really serious for those with low vision.

There are some good tips for avoiding some of these things so that you can remain safe and independent.  Here’s a good article with tips on:

  • finding clothing that matches
  • using the microwave control pad so you don’t burn your food
  • avoiding falls on floors, over furniture and down steps by providing contrast
  • chosing the right kind of lighting for the area and the task
  • putting lighting where you need it, inside and outside
  • cutting down glare that makes it more difficult to see
  • finding out what low vision aids are available for the home and where to get them
  • adapting each room in the house for your needs

Click here for a very complete guide Household Tips for People with Low Vision.

Click here to read about a book called Making Life More Livable.  I’ve not read it. If you have & would like to write a book review, please let me know.

Do you have any other tips?  Please leave a comment so we can share them with others.

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