Recently, our residents and nursing manager – Sister Erika Janutsch, gathered to welcome Jennifer Webster, who came to talk to us about age related visual degeneration and how you can adapt and use tools to assist you in remaining independent for longer.
Jennifer Webster was diagnosed with Stargardts disease at the age of 10, a juvenile onset form of Macular Degeneration. She managed to complete mainstream schooling and has a BA Honours from Rhodes University. Married with grown up children she now spends her time helping to find solutions and encouraging others along the journey of vision loss. Jennifer shared her own story and some of the joys and struggles of coming to terms with a visual impairment.
The focus of her talk was:
- to encourage those who are losing their sight, due to Age related Macular Degeneration or any other eye disease, to not lose sight of their own value.
- to share practical tips and principles that are useful to help you continue doing things you love doing, and to live a full life.
- to share some of the useful support structures which are in place for South Africans who struggle with low vision – including information about where to get gadgets and technology.
- to provide information that could be useful to people and organisations regarding ‘blind friendly’ environments, both physical and social.
The Somerset Care Centre is a new, purpose-built facility in Somerset West, located within the prestigious Lifestyle and Retirement Village The Somerset.
The centre provides full 24-hour nursing, however our trained and dedicated staff focus on supporting our residents’ independence as far as possible. With a range of design features to support different levels of capability, we aim to ensure the overall wellbeing of residents.