Does this category support those people who have to take care of mom and dad in their declining years?

I'm there.

Mom developed RP (retinitis pigmentosa) which is supposedly a hereditary eye disease. She's lost almost all of her sight and has been legally blind for 20 years.

Medicaid pays me to keep her at home instead of a nursing home.

Anyway I'm getting frustrated. Almost daily several times a day all I hear is I can't see. It's very frustrating. I love mom but she wont try anything at all to cope with going blind. She wont try new or different ways to do anything.

Within the last few months more and more I watch her and she just sits in her chair and stares at our bare white wall.

Sorry just needed to vent a min...

Have a great day...

Im sorry that you are having a hard time- its good to vent

maybe your mom needs to do that too- tell her its ok- she is probably mourning the loss of her sight- i know its been 20 years but its still traumatic

they have so many treatments out there now. isn't there something- anything they can do for her now?

There are no cures.

There are about 15 various implants in clinical trials atm but none that are approved yet and it will be more years before medicaid would make those available to people which would be the only way we could afford implants.

does she qualify for any of the trials? medicaid is not billed- the company doing the trial is responsible for absorbing the cost.

I’m sorry she has to go through that. My mom has macular degeneration and is blind as well. She does how ever love books that she gets on tape from the dept. of the blind. She still cooks, cleans her own house and is very content all of this at age 85. You may want to look in to see what they have in your state.

Have you thought about having her talk with a professional? Depression can be debilitating and make it difficult, if not impossible, to try to move on.

My Grandfather lost his sight completely about 8years ago. Luckily he has found many things to keep him busy. He attended a school for the blind and can do pretty much everything he did prior to losing his sight other than ofcourse driving. With a few modifications he is even able to cook. He also made many friends at the school. My Uncle and his family have moved into my Grandfathers home to assist him but they really don't have to do much.
My Grandfather did not have to pay any money to attend this school and they also provided him w/a modified computer and a companion animal that they flew him to California to train with. He also finds alot of delight in listening to audio tapes that he gets free from the state library for the blind. Perhaps you should look into these programs for your Mother.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm printing out my application for the state's blind library now.

Maybe I can find her one of those old tape player/recorders, the ones shaped like a box that only has the few buttons on the edge.

If i'm not mistaken they will supply a player. They aren't like your typical cassette tape.

Another suggestion is to look in your area for any support groups. Put an ad in the paper looking for some blind ladies in your area that would be wlling to meet you mom and talkw ith er, get her out of the house with someone othe than yourself or ither family members.

Part of the problem may well be she is feeling guilt on her part for you having to take care of her now, and frustration that se is so limited. You said she is adverse to learning new techniqes? I would defnitely try and get her out in a circle of her peers some of whom are blind, and completely self-sufficient. Once she knows that it is possible, she may very well adjust to getting assistance.

Also, does she like animals? Dogs? If so, see if you can get her introduced to someone with an aid dog. They are not only trained to assist with daily living, but also to be a loving companion.

Theres a lot of things that can be done, some of which are mentioned in this thread, so lpease, go on out and see what you can do.

And let us all know how it works out.