Surprise Phone Call

This morning I called the daughter of an 86 year old lady who'd been referred to me by her retinal specialist.  Even though the doctor told the lady I'd call she told me that she thought it would be someone in my office who'd call, not me.  I explained that it is very helpful to me and to the outcome for the patient if I speak with them in advance.  I have the doctor's notes from her visit last week but I learn much more by actually speaking with the patient or their relative.

Macular degeneration and other conditions effect the lives of people differently.  I want to hear first hand how the vision loss is impacting the life of the person.  What activities are difficult and have they found a way to deal with the problem?  What activities are they able to do with their remaining vision?  If I am able to help which activities are most important?

All of this information helps me understand if I will be able to help.  I then explain to the person what to expect from me and what to expect from low vision glasses or other devices.  In the case of this lady, unfortunately, she has dementia.  The daughter and I talked about how that figured into what I might do to help the lady.  I'd be recommending solutions to the vision problem that are simple to use.

As we were saying good bye the daughter thanked me and told me that she wished we'd had this conversation a year ago when Mom was in better condition.  I agreed.