Importance of Vision Exams for the Elderly in Home Care

Importance of Vision Exams for the Elderly in Home Care: In our senior years, vision problems have almost come to be expected. Seniors in at-home care know that it can get harder to see all the time even with glasses or contacts. But for those 65 and older, getting regular eye exams is about more than just a new prescription for glasses. There are a host of health problems that your eye doctor can look for in a yearly eye exam. But eye health is sometimes overlooked (see what we did there) beyond reading an eye chart.

Common Vision Problems in Seniors

There are several common eye problems and issues; that your eye doctor will look for during a Vision Exams for the Elderly. Those include:

• Presbyopia occurs when seniors have more difficulty seeing things up close and is considered a normal part of aging.
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) causes vision loss, but not usually total blindness. It occurs when nerve cells in the retina are lost in the area responsible for detailed vision, such as reading or facial recognition, there is no cure for AMD.
• Cataracts are a clouding or darkening of the lens of the eye that affect vision. Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed and has a good success rate. Risk factors for cataracts include diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking.
• Diabetic Retinopathy is an eye condition caused by damage to the blood vessels in the eyes
• Glaucoma occurs when there is increased pressure in the eye. Your eye doctor will examine the optic nerve and measure the pressure in your eye to diagnose glaucoma. The risk for glaucoma increases as we age.

Along with making sure that corrective prescriptions are current, checking for these vital eye health issues highlight the importance of regular eye exams for seniors.

Eye Care for Seniors

August is Healthy Vision Month, meaning not only is it a good time to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor, it’s also a good time to think about how we take care of our eyes. Obviously getting regular eye exams is vital, but there are things we can do every day to help with eye care. Some of these include:

• Stop smoking: If there’s a health problem that isn’t made worse by smoking, we haven’t found it yet.
• Give your eyes a break: We look at screens all day long, but giving your eyes a rest can be beneficial, especially at night.
• Get enough sleep: Sleep helps replenish the natural lubrication in the eyes, and can clean out irritants like dust or smoke.
• Exercise. Your eyes need enough oxygen and proper blood flow just like the rest of your body.
• Protect your eyes: Eye injuries are common in falls, but you also need to protect your eyes from the sun. Too many ultraviolet rays can damage your vision.

Home Care Powered by AUAF Wants to Keep Your Vision Healthy

Whether it’s helping your loved one to schedule regular eye exams, or picking up those snazzy new glasses you ordered, the dedicated at-home care aides of Home Care Powered by AUAF can help seniors maintain their eye health.

Senior Home Care Services You Can Trust

Our in-home caregivers provide support with many home care needs including bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, companionship, medication reminders, and more. Senior home care services are available daily from 6am-10pm by our trained home care aides.

Because we want to provide the very best elderly care services available, our home care aides go through a thorough pre-serivce training process. And so you can rest assured that the best senior home care service is being provided to you or your loved one

$15 an Hour Caregiver Pay

Home Care Powered by AUAF offers a competitive hourly rate of $15 an hour to our in-home caregivers. This rate is dependent upon performance. Successful performance is completions and submission of monthly task sheets and timely punch in and out. We also offer additional compensation for traveling time and mileage.

Take note that this amount is higher than the average pay rate for caregivers around the country. At Home Care Powered by AUAF, we are dedicated to providing the best senior home care and companionship services through our caregivers to those we care for. Whether you are in Chicago or beyond, we serve many communities in Illinois. Take a look at the different communities we serve.