Our Home Visiting Scheme provides a bridge between elderly visually impaired people and the community they live in. It is a relatively low cost, people-based scheme, tackling a very real need in a practical and caring way.

Over 90% of people who are registered as blind or partially sighted are aged 60 and over, most are over 70. Sight loss can be a devastating blow, bringing with it a range of practical difficulties, but it is facing up to the emotional shock of becoming partially sighted or completely blind that is often the hardest thing to bear.

Elderly people can often feel cut off from their local community if they cannot easily get out and about. This sense of isolation is particularly difficult if it is compounded by sight loss, where it is often impossible to see the people to whom you are trying to talk. It doesn’t have to be like this - it just takes a little work with the local community to make sure that no one is forgotten or left feeling lonely.

Visit our contacts page for details of a home visiting scheme in your area.

It’s a good way to make a new friend from a different walk of life, and help an elderly person who may have difficulty in maintaining their independence without a little help.

Volunteers can help with simple tasks like:

- Regular visiting for tea and a chat.

- Reading mail, newspapers, etc.

- Odd jobs, sewing on buttons, replacing light bulbs.

- Accompanying on short walks - One-off visits to the doctor, hospital, shops etc.

Our home visiting schemes is professionally run with proper recruitment, screening, training and supervision of volunteers. Do you have any spare time? Could you visit an elderly visually impaired client and ensure that they remain a part of your local community?
Click here for more information on volunteering.

Our home visiting scheme in Oxford is part funded with a grant from Oxfordshire County Council. [ Web Link ]