House Calls Are Back

Many low vision patients need more than in-office care today. In fact, they may need training in mobility and the use of low vision devices and non-optical aids, as well as assistance with daily living activities.

By necessity, much of this care focuses on the individual’s home environment and addresses what they most wish to accomplish.

CIRCLE OF CARE

Home care is a big focus at Ocular Health Center, with three clinics in Ontario, Canada. We spoke with two members of the team—the owner and director, Mark Rienstra, and Kelly Bowland, R.O.

“As anti-VEGFs were brought into the clinic, our care seemed to end with the injections,” explains Rienstra. “We saw an opportunity for patients and for us to extend and complete the circle of care,” he adds.

THE VISITS

Bowland has been an optician for more than 35 years and went back to school to get her orientation and mobility specialist for the blind degree and an ophthalmic assistant certificate.

Here, she talks about the company’s services and its patients’ needs.

➤ REFERRALS. Patients, usually referred by ophthalmologists, are given a choice of an office or in-home visit. “There’s a lot I can’t assess in the office,” says Bowland. “For example, I can only really do things like a safety environmental assessment in the home.”

➤ ROUTINES. “In terms of everyday routines, I can do things like mark their microwave with tactile dots. I can also assess their vision on the TV much easier there. That’s important if I’m trying a device for watching TV, because I need to know how big the screen is, how far away they sit, etcetera.”

THE RESULT

Part of the process is showing how one device can’t do everything and that multiple needs translate to multiple devices. The most popular devices, however, are illuminated magnifiers and prescription filters, explains Bowland.

➤ INVENTORY. She keeps an inventory of Eschenbach products in her car and brings a selection of them into the home.

➤ SIMULATOR. “I also bring a vision simulator, so I can show the caregiver what it’s like to see out of the eyes of the person.” That’s important because family members and caregivers rarely fully understand what the patient is experiencing. Most are shocked but come away with a better grasp of the patient’s reality and, therefore, are able to assist in a more comprehensive—and often more compassionate—manner.

Home care often goes well beyond the selection of and training on devices. There is, in fact, a whole other side to what Bowland does. “Sometimes,” she explains, “it’s also helping the patient come to terms with the fact that a simple pair of glasses can no longer fix everything. That is difficult—and sometimes painful—for them to understand.”