Crucial support for people experiencing sight loss - Colin Hilditch

Sight Scotland aims to help as many people affected by sight loss as possible. People with visual impairment can lose their confidence, self-esteem and ability to do many day-to-day activities. Many families and carers have huge concerns about how to best support their loved ones and don’t have the support themselves in coping, particularly following initial diagnosis.

Our Family Wellbeing Service starts from a position of just wanting to help – help with information and advice, together with the practical and emotional support so many people with sight loss need. The service is free to access for people of all ages, and at all stages of sight loss, and their families.

The support we offer can either be face to face, over the phone or online. This can be a home visit to demonstrate equipment, talk about their visual impairment, help with visual aids, adaptions in the home, or IT and assisted technology support. It is our job to support people to learn or re-gain essential living skills following a diagnosis of sight loss. We want to ensure everyone we help can keep doing the everyday things that are important to them, while also developing essential skills to live safely at home, and to navigate the world with confidence.

We launched the helpline in January 2021 and so far we have supported over 1,500 people. As a new service, and from a standing start, the number of people we have helped has been good, but we want to do so much more. We want to create more community groups and have a very ambitious target of helping over 1,000 people a year.

Sight Scotland's Family Wellbeing Service in action

When someone calls the helpline, we do not just talk about vision impairment, we talk to people about what is important to them. Often it has taken a lot of courage to call and ask for help, so no matter what problem someone has, if we can help, we will. It may ultimately be a housing problem or a social work problem, so if we are not able to help solve that problem directly ourselves we will get in touch with the people who can.

Sometimes what we see as a small thing, is absolutely massive to the person contacting us. Some people just call for a chat because they are lonely, or they call to talk through their diagnosis and the changes they are going through, such as giving up their job, their car or changes they need to make in their home. Often people need emotional support and someone who will listen. For someone affected by sight loss having someone listening to them cannot be underestimated, it is just so important that people know they are not alone.

Collaboration is vital, and we work in partnership with various organisations, such as Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, AbilityNet, Deaf Action, Scottish Disability Sport, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, so we can increase our reach and continually improve our services.

If you or someone you know is experiencing sight loss call us today on 0800 024 8973.

For more information, please visit www.sightscotland.org.uk

Colin Hilditch, Head of Community Services, Sight Scotland