Acquired blind people used to have sound vision, but under the influence of different diseases, they gradually lose sight.
What can be done easily in the past is more difficult after blindness, and they need to relearn how to cope with daily life.
Studies have found that they have a higher demand for related support services in the early stage of blindness, but the blind people currently lack community support, and rehabilitation training services need to wait at least 9 months to two years.
Some concerned groups believe that the current support services and waiting time are too long, and hope that the government can strengthen support to help them adapt to life after their eyesight has deteriorated as soon as possible.
The study on the support of the artificial community for the acquired blindness was commissioned by the Hong Kong Association for the Blind to be conducted by the University of Hong Kong from November last year to May this year.
The study participants were all members of the Association for the Blind. There were 167 visually impaired persons participating in the questionnaire survey and 43 visually impaired persons participating in the focus group. 80% (81%) of the study subjects were totally blind or severely amblyopia, with an average of The age is 55.1 years old.
The study on the support of the artificial community for the acquired blindness was commissioned by the Hong Kong Association for the Blind to be conducted by the University of Hong Kong from November last year to May this year.
(Photo by Zeng Fengting)
The questionnaire survey is mainly divided into two parts, including research on the sense of community belonging and quality of life of the visually impaired.
Studies have found that visually impaired people have a higher age of onset of eye diseases, and their community sentiment scores are also higher.
For the visually impaired people who have had eye diseases for less than one year, their sense of belonging in the community is only 21.5 points out of 40 points, and 26.5 points out of 3 to 10 years.
Xu Xiaojun, an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong, who assisted in the research, explained that the more senior visually impaired people have accepted themselves and adapted to the new life, so they will have a higher sense of identity and belonging to the community, while the newly blind It is still in the stage of acceptance and adjustment, which also reflects their higher demand for support services.
Xu Xiaojun, assistant professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong, who assisted in the research, mentioned that the government currently provides four types of services to the visually impaired, including rehabilitation and training centers, communication and information services, social and recreational activities, and self-help organizations.
Research also shows that respondents who use more services have better quality of life.
(Photo by Zeng Fengting)
In terms of quality of life, there is a gap in the quality of life of the acquired blind people with different levels of visual impairment.
People who are totally blind have higher scores for their health and mental condition, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships, while those with severely sighted people have lower overall scores.
However, people with mild and moderate low vision have better financial conditions than those who are completely blind.
Xu Xiaojun mentioned that the government currently provides four types of services to the visually impaired, including rehabilitation and training centers, communication and information services, social and recreational activities, and self-help organizations.
Research also shows that respondents who use more services have better quality of life.
In addition to the questionnaire survey, the research team will also conduct in-depth interviews with the interviewees and find that the community support for them is obviously insufficient.
Some interviewees pointed out that the waiting time for some services is too long. For example, the waiting time for household cleaning services is as long as one year, and the waiting time for rehabilitation training services is too long and lacks continuity. The waiting time is as long as 9 months to Between two years.
In addition, the interviewees said that there is insufficient cooperation and communication between the medical and social institutions. For example, ophthalmologists are not familiar with community services and fail to refer cases to appropriate social welfare agencies or introduce relevant support services to patients, resulting in unconnected services. Affect the life of the visually impaired in adapting to poor vision.
Newly blind people have no access to community support services information
Under the influence of retinitis pigmentosa, the visually impaired Mr. Mo is now almost completely blind and can only see light and darkness.
He said that four years ago, he had an eye examination with a friend and was accidentally found to have an eye disease. The ophthalmologist diagnosed it as a terminal illness, which could not be treated, and his vision would only get worse and worse.
At that time, Mr. Mo was very conscientious and felt helpless, "I had a job to do, I didn't know how to count, and I didn't know how to do it in the future."
He then inquired with the doctor, but the doctor only told him that he could go to the relevant agency for assistance on his own, and did not provide any assistance.
Mr. Mo said that he went online to search for information, but he has not found a suitable organization.
His eye plague came quickly and urgently, which made him feel more hesitated.
Fortunately, a social worker neighbour found him by chance and introduced the relevant organization to him, so he was able to obtain appropriate assistance and began to wait for rehabilitation training services.
After a year and a half, Mr. Mo was finally able to be scheduled for service, but his eyesight had become very poor and he could only do home training.
However, due to the low frequency and types of training at home, the training that could be completed in one year, in disguise, has to be delayed to five years to complete.
After the intervention of the Hong Kong Association for the Blind, Mr. Mo learned to use a walking stick and was able to reach the training site on his own. With the increase in training frequency, he could complete the entire rehabilitation training course early next year.
A follow-up consultation alone is the most difficult for the blind
After being blind for just 4 years, Mr. Mo thinks that it is the most difficult to go to a public hospital for follow-up consultation. "If there are social workers, it is okay, but if not, it is difficult to go to the same place for registration, examination, and appointment of the next follow-up consultation." .
In addition, there is also a distance to go to a public hospital, so that he would only go to nearby to buy over-the-counter medicines when he fell ill, and would not go to the hospital for treatment.
Mr. Mok also said that many visually impaired people want to be vaccinated under the epidemic, but not everyone has the ability to register online by themselves. He hopes that the government can increase the number of people with the same day and leave some places so that people with disabilities in need can be given the same day. Get an injection at the scene.
Sandy, who had worked as a civil servant, suffered from retinal detachment that affected her vision 12 years ago and was completely blind 7 years ago.
Sandy said that after learning that he was about to lose his sight, he felt very disappointed and did not know how to obtain relevant service information, so he hid himself at home and relied on his family to accompany him out.
It was not until 4 years ago that she applied for rehabilitation training services. After one and a half years, she started training. "Before, I had to be taken by someone when I went out, but I could do it by myself."
After contacting the service and receiving the corresponding training, her self-confidence increased. Sandy is grateful for the encouragement of fellow travellers and blind mentors to help her re-enter the society.
People who are totally blind: We also have the ability to work
Sandy said that after receiving the corresponding training, blind people are actually able to work. "It turns out that there are software that allows us to use a computer. There are also many things in life, such as cooking, that we can do by ourselves."
Sandy is now an intern barista. "I think people who are visually impaired are absolutely capable of working, but they lack job opportunities. In addition, if there is support from fellow travellers, the blind will be able to rejoin society faster and confidently. I am now involved in a lot of volunteer work, sharing my experience and encouraging other visually impaired friends."
Chen Zhigang, vice president of the Hong Kong Association for the Advancement of the Blind, urged the government to strengthen relevant services for the visually impaired.
He pointed out that the current service time is longer. For newly blind people, some urgent services, such as escort and rehabilitation training, have become normal after one and a half years. Therefore, he hopes to allocate more resources to shorten the waiting community. Service hours and strengthen assistance services for them.
Urge the government to take the lead in hiring people with disabilities
Chen Zhigang mentioned that the health care voucher service for the elderly is effective and helps to divert the elderly to other private hospitals. Therefore, he hopes that the same approach can be applied to the disabled, so that they can seek medical treatment in nearby hospitals, reducing public hospitals = pressure.
In terms of employment, Chen Zhigang mentioned that, apart from the loss of sensory functions, other abilities of blind people have not been reduced. I hope that the government can take the lead in hiring and increasing the number of people with disabilities, so that they can live independently and have equal opportunities.
Huang Junheng, president of the Hong Kong Association for the Blindness, believes that the current support services are not ideal. Many newly blind people reported that they could not get the corresponding service information from the hospital after they were diagnosed with eye diseases. He hoped to strengthen medical and social cooperation to avoid the same type of situation. Appears, and delays the time for them to receive services. "I hope that newly blind people can get help from suitable institutions as soon as possible, and it does not take at least two or three years before they can receive appropriate services."
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