Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Looking for products to help my father-in-law who has lost his vision. (self.Blind)
submitted by spaghettithrower
First time poster and on mobile. I apologize in advance for the length of this post. My father-in-law has stage IV lung cancer, despite never smoking. Due to different medications causing swelling in his eyes, he is now essentially blind. He lives alone in an apartment in a senior residence. We bought him an Alexa Spot so he can ask it to make and receive calls. He cannot see anything on his phone ( Android) and to make matters worse, his voice is now very “gravelly” sounding and extremely soft. By this I mean that he cannot project his voice anymore and his Alexa Spot is now unable to “hear” him.
He will be going into skilled nursing very soon, but for now he just sits in a chair and listens to books on tape. Does anyone have any ideas on products that could help him in any way? I tried to get him to use some of the apps that “ see and read” for you. He is also extremely weak and has difficulty getting around.
I just the hate the thought of him sitting there doing nothing when he doesn’t have visitors. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
He will be going into skilled nursing very soon, but for now he just sits in a chair and listens to books on tape. Does anyone have any ideas on products that could help him in any way? I tried to get him to use some of the apps that “ see and read” for you. He is also extremely weak and has difficulty getting around.
I just the hate the thought of him sitting there doing nothing when he doesn’t have visitors. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
gracers94 3 points 3y ago
Would it help if you could buy him the remote for the Alexa? That way he can hold it up directly to his mouth and speak quietly to control the Alexa rather than having to speak loudly enough for the dot to hear him?
spaghettithrower [OP] 1 points 3y ago
That sounds great! I didn’t know they had remotes.
ilivetofly 1 points 3y ago
Also move it closer to him. I have alexa and if it's right next to you you can literally whisper in its direction and it will pick it up. Just make sure the cables are not a trip hazard!
spaghettithrower [OP] 2 points 3y ago
This is great to know. We were worried that he wouldn’t be able to use the Alexa Spot anymore. He had really been enjoying it.
buckeyes4me 2 points 3y ago
Check out MaxiAids. They have many low vision aids
spaghettithrower [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Thank you! I’ll look right now.
razzretina 2 points 3y ago
What does he like to do? Some of the things he used to do might still be possible.
spaghettithrower [OP] 2 points 3y ago
He was interested in genealogy. He also enjoyed keeping in touch with people via email. He loves to read and has been listening to books on tape. He is in his eighties and becomes frustrated with too much technology.
razzretina 2 points 3y ago
If he has an iPhone, he can do his emails using Voiceover. Same with genealogy stuff I should think. If he’s not used to using a smartphone that might bother him, but you can get screen readers like NVDA for his computer.
ilivetofly 1 points 3y ago
The phone may have a screen reader. It isn't great though.
Sometimes old works just as well. Get a radio, audio books can also be a life saver if you can get more of them on tape.
Sometimes old works just as well. Get a radio, audio books can also be a life saver if you can get more of them on tape.
spaghettithrower [OP] 2 points 3y ago
It’s funny, I didn’t even think of a radio. That would be fantastic because he could listen to sports games be announced play by play.
ilivetofly 1 points 3y ago
Yeah it's easy enough to totally forget about it in our modern world. Radio though has been the go-to for blind folk for ages. Not to mention a lot of elderly people know quite intuitively how to use a radio. It's much easier for them than training them to use say an alexa or Siri.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 3y ago
TUrn on Talkback on his phone. If he has a Samsung then download the Android Accessibility Suite to get Talkback. Don't bother with Samsung Voice Assistant. It's a bit crap. Talkback has a quick tutorial that should get him up and running. If he struggles with technology or if he's prone to falling and want something like a Smartwatch then frankly he's better off going with Apple since it's easier to learn. Don't use ANdroid Wear Smartwatches. They are completely inaccessible.
You talked almost exclusively about tech but are there other daily-life things he struggles with? There's various products that can help like talking/tactile watches, signature guides, and more.
You talked almost exclusively about tech but are there other daily-life things he struggles with? There's various products that can help like talking/tactile watches, signature guides, and more.
spaghettithrower [OP] 1 points 3y ago
This is great. I will find out what type of phone he has. He struggles mostly in his kitchen. He needs to lean on the counter for support and balance and he has a hard time finding items. We try to keep everything in the same place. When alone, he will knock over his drink because he can’t remember where it is. He is extremely weak, so he wouldn’t be able to use weighted items.
I think the other big issue is boredom. We got him an Alexa to use for calling people, but his voice doesn’t carry well. We are going to try adding a remote as someone here suggested to see if that helps. I think he just misses his independence, working on the computer, reading ( although he now uses audio books), emailing, things like that.
I think the other big issue is boredom. We got him an Alexa to use for calling people, but his voice doesn’t carry well. We are going to try adding a remote as someone here suggested to see if that helps. I think he just misses his independence, working on the computer, reading ( although he now uses audio books), emailing, things like that.
ilivetofly 1 points 3y ago
You can get a perch chair for the kitchen. It's super handy. We also use a kettle swing which helps you use it even if it is heavy.
Some feel based puzzles could be great though you would need to look into it. Alexa also has a massive skill library and you can download some games that can be played entirely by voice. If you move her close to him (I have mine less then a foot away from my head on a shelf) he can whisper to it and it will still pick him up. I have to do that at night not to wake people up. Alexa can also access the accounts audible library and as a few free audio books avalible each month. https://www.audible.co.uk/ep/alexa-free-audiobook
For his cups he spills over could you get a small noise maker that could attach to his cup-handle? Maybe a specific bedside or chair side table with a specific cup holder in it so that it's always in the exact same place? A cup holder even if he knocks it should not tip over.
Also a radio could be great.
Some feel based puzzles could be great though you would need to look into it. Alexa also has a massive skill library and you can download some games that can be played entirely by voice. If you move her close to him (I have mine less then a foot away from my head on a shelf) he can whisper to it and it will still pick him up. I have to do that at night not to wake people up. Alexa can also access the accounts audible library and as a few free audio books avalible each month. https://www.audible.co.uk/ep/alexa-free-audiobook
For his cups he spills over could you get a small noise maker that could attach to his cup-handle? Maybe a specific bedside or chair side table with a specific cup holder in it so that it's always in the exact same place? A cup holder even if he knocks it should not tip over.
Also a radio could be great.
spaghettithrower [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Thank you so, so much for these suggestions. They are all fantastic and easily doable.
spaghettithrower [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Unfortunately he does not have an iPhone. We offered to get him one, and an Apple Watch in case he falls. But he is very stubborn and doesn’t want to get a new phone. The voiceover would have been excellent.
8i8oio 2 points 3y ago
What kind of phone does he have? Lots of phones have voiceover programs, it doesn’t have to be Apple. I found a lot of Android settings shown on YouTube. Do some more research! :)
spaghettithrower [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I definitely will! Thank you!
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