Pennsylvania Association for the Blind has moved its executive office to downtown Harrisburg. Our new mailing address is 105 N Front Street, Suite 106 Rear, Harrisburg PA 17101. Our phone number and email remains the same.
The Big Data Project in Pennsylvania
VisionServe Alliance and The Ohio State University College of Optometry provide groundbreaking data on the rate of blindness, and low vision among people over 65 in Pennsylvania.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2022 – VisionServe Alliance (VSA) and The Ohio State University College of Optometry have partnered, embarking on a project to analyze standardized Pennsylvania data and national reports of people who are blind or have low vision. Its initial findings will be released to the public on April 4 at VisionServe Alliance’s Executive Leadership Conference.
The Big Data Project provides state-level data on the rate of blindness and low vision among people aged 65 years and older for eight states: Pennsylvania, New York, California, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Illinois. These briefings also describe the rate of chronic conditions, quality of life, and disability indicators among older people with and without blindness and low vision.
“We really have limited resources to address public health initiatives when thinking of things like vision—so determining where the most immediate needs are turns out to be really helpful so you can start to direct scarce resources to groups that could benefit the most,” said Dean VanNasdale, OD, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The Ohio State University College of Optometry.
The Big Data Project briefings are the only studies providing comprehensive descriptions of older people with vision impairment at the state and county levels in one document. The current Pennsylvania reports have been posted on the VSA website as publicly available downloadable PDFs.
“These are factual reports,” said John E. Crews, D.P.A., the former Lead Scientist with the Disability and Health Team in the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “We can apply the content to funding, services, and advocacy efforts in any venue.”
The data sets included in the project are the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Policymakers and advocates can use the Big Data Project briefings to develop programs to improve the lives and independence of older people with vision loss. One of the biggest challenges in providing services to the low vision community is a lack of funding, which ties to a lack of data.
This data will now give PAB member agencies a boost in talking with their community and policyholders.
According to the report, 7.3% of elderly individuals report blindness or vision loss. This is not distributed equally across racial or ethnic groups or by state or county lines. According to Crews, the BRFSS survey handles 440,000 individuals. In this report, a breakdown of national visual impairment goes as follows:
• White non-Hispanic: 6.1%,
• Black non-Hispanic: 10.5%,
• Native American: 14.2%,
• Hispanic: 13.9%.
Respectfully, showing a significant impact on individuals with a visual impairment in minority populations. Additionally, the data reports 6.0% in Pennsylvania. “Even within this country, the prevalence of visual impairment varies from state to state,” Crews said. “We found even more variability from county to county.”
Looking at the state of Pennsylvania, the overall prevalence of visual impairment is 6.0%. The counties’ prevalence ranges from 2.5% to 10.4% within the state. Crews said the higher prevalence is typically in rural areas.
“Those areas tend to be under-resourced,” Crews said. “People are poorer in those areas. They don’t have access to healthcare, eye care, and have virtually no access to anything that looks like vision rehabilitation.”
With the groundbreaking insight of the findings for Pennsylvania, VSA is determined and dedicated to completing the project for the rest of the country, starting by recruiting an additional ten states for the next phase.
“The Big Data Project is VisionServe’s most ambitious undertaking to date,” said Lee Nasehi, President and CEO of VSA. “It is an honor to work with the distinguished Ohio State University College of Optometry to bring this project to fruition.”
To learn more about VSA and the Big Data Project, contact Lee Nasehi at leen@visionservealliance.org.
How Medical Alert Systems Can Help Those with Vision Impairments
Living with any kind of vision impairment, especially blindness, can make it challenging to live independently. Those who do live independently may worry about their safety and what they’ll do if they suffer an injury or medical emergency while alone. Assistive technology, including medical alert systems, can provide a safety net for many of the concerns people who are blind or vision impaired may have. Living with any kind of vision impairment, especially blindness, can make it challenging to live independently. Those who do live independently may worry about their safety and what they’ll do if they suffer an injury or medical emergency while alone. Assistive technology, including medical alert systems, can provide a safety net for many of the concerns people who are blind or vision impaired may have. It should also be recognized that assistive technology is built into smart phones for blind and visually impaired individuals. There are many smart phone APPs accessible to the blind or low vision community that contain many of the features described below.
Medical Alert Systems Are Not Just for Medical Emergencies
Medical alert systems were originally intended solely for use by seniors in need of medical attention, but their functionality has greatly increased in the decades since their debut. Now, in addition to connecting users with emergency personnel, the devices can be used as a simple way to get in touch with a caregiver, friend, or family member.
The wearable devices feature a personal help button, which when pressed will connect users with a monitoring center operator who will then pass their call along to their preferred contacts. Or, some devices can be programmed to connect straight to a caregiver or family members’ phone. This allows people who are blind to use the devices if they are in a difficult situation and just need some help, and not necessarily just for emergencies.
Portable Devices Feature GPS Location Tracking
People who are vision-impaired may feel stressed about what will happen if they become lost while traveling or out running errands independently. Portable medical alert devices, which are offered by all top medical alert companies, can provide some peace of mind for those with vision impairments who enjoy venturing out on their own.
Almost all portable medical alert devices are equipped with GPS location tracking. If the user ever becomes lost, they can press the personal help button to connect with an operator or their preferred contact, who will be able to pinpoint their exact location. This makes the devices a great way for someone to let a friend or family member know that they need some assistance getting home, and eliminates the fear that they will not be able to communicate their location in order to get help.
Automatic Fall Detection Can be Lifesaving
Falling is always a risk for people who are blind- those with vision impairment are twice as likely to experience multiple falls as someone with normal vision. Compounding the fear of falling for most is anxiety over how one will get help if a serious fall occurs and they are unable to get up.
While medical alert systems cannot prevent falls, they increase the likelihood that the user will be able to get the help they need after falling, reducing the risk of serious injury. Most devices on the market today come with the option of automatic fall detection, which uses motion-sensing technology to recognize if a fall has occurred. If a fall is detected, the device will automatically call the operating center or the user’s caregiver, eliminating the need for the user to even press the button. This technology can be lifesaving after a serious fall when the user is incapacitated.
Modern Systems Are Water-Resistant
Unlike many other tech products, medical alert systems are typically water-resistant or even waterproof. That means users are protected even if the fall in water or a wet area and can wear their devices in high-risk areas like the shower.
Smartwatch-Style Devices Can be Used for Easy Communication
Some modern medical alert systems are available as smartwatch-style devices, which have a plethora of features beyond emergency support. One appealing feature for people who are blind is voice-to-text SMS messaging. Using their medical alert smartwatch, people can send text messages to friends and family without needing to type, making it easy to stay connected. These smartwatch-style medical alert systems serve a dual purpose of an emergency alert system and communication device.
Comprehensive Packages Provide Extra Protection in the Home
Some medical alert companies offer integrated medical alert packages, which include accessories like fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors. These safety packages are particularly useful for people with disabilities like vision impairment, who may have more difficulty escaping a fire, according to FEMA. The combined packages help ensure that users will be alerted of fire or smoke risk early and offer well-rounded protection for all types of emergencies.
(Article courtesy of Caring.com)
