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AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusions\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONTo explore the effects of the Personalized Citizen Assistance for Social Participation (APIC), an intervention adapted here for visual impairment, involving weekly stimulation sessions over six to twelve months, provided by trained and supervised attendants, on seven outcomes (social participation, leisure, independence, mobility, quality of life, health-related quality of life, and empowerment) in older adults with visual impairment, and to document its facilitators and barriers.A mixed-method design, which included a pre-experimental and an exploratory qualitative clinical research component, was used on 8 older adults (7 women) with visual impairment aged 70–86, and 8 attendants (5 women) aged 20–74. Before the intervention, directly after, and four months later, older adults completed questionnaires on the 7 outcomes. During the intervention, attendants completed diaries and participated in monthly meetings. Semi-structured interviews were administered to all participants after the intervention.Social participation, leisure, mobility, quality of life and empowerment had increased immediately after the APIC. These improvements were still generally observed four months later. Participants reported that the APIC improved older adults’ capabilities, social participation, and social environment.The APIC is a promising intervention which helps older adults with visual impairment to deal with social restrictions.In older adults, visual impairment has important consequences on active and healthy aging.Personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC) is an intervention that aims to foster the social participation.This study shows that APIC adapted to visual impairment influences social participation, leisure, mobility, quality of life and empowerment of older adults with visual impairment.Participants also reported improvements in their capabilities, social participation, and social environment.In older adults, visual impairment has important consequences on active and healthy aging.Personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC) is an intervention that aims to foster the social participation.This study shows that APIC adapted to visual impairment influences social participation, leisure, mobility, quality of life and empowerment of older adults with visual impairment.Participants also reported improvements in their capabilities, social participation, and social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professionals in the field of low vision are increasingly concerned about the paucity of optometry students who are expressing any interest in low vision as a clinical subspecialty. Concurrent with this apparent disinterest is an increased demand for these services as the baby boomer population becomes more predisposed to age-related vision loss. The authors of the present study conducted a qualitative survey to investigate ways to attract more young professionals into the field of low vision. The results of their survey revealed areas of concern including advertising, financial incentives, equipment and facility costs, relevance for practice, gaining experience, ageism stereotypes, role models, and start-up opportunities, and yielded several suggestions that training institutions around the globe could consider and implement to redress the situation. (Contains 1 note.)

Objective:This pilot study aimed to verify the impact of the awareness tool for safe and responsible driving (OSCAR) on older adults’ (1) interest, openness, and knowledge about the abilities and compensatory strategies required for safe driving; (2) awareness of changes that have occurred in their own driving abilities; and (3) actual utilization of compensatory strategies. Methods:A preexperimental design, including a pretest (T0) and posttest (T1) 8 to 10 weeks after exposure to the intervention, was used with 48 drivers aged between 67 and 84. The participants had a valid driving license and drove at least once a week. Results:Overall, the results demonstrate that OSCAR increased interest, openness, and knowledge about the abilities and compensatory strategies of older drivers (P<.01). After exposure to OSCAR, the majority of the participants confirmed that changes had occurred in at least one of their abilities. Moreover, half of the older drivers reported having started using 6 or more compensatory strategies. Conclusion:In summary, in addition to increasing older adults’ interest, openness, and knowledge to discussion about driving, OSCAR also improved awareness of the changes that could negatively impact safe driving and enhanced utilization of compensatory strategies. While promoting safe driving and the prevention of crashes and injuries, this intervention could ultimately help older adults maintain or increase their transportation mobility. More studies are needed to further evaluate OSCAR and identify ways to improve its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the province of Quebec, 11 governmentally funded rehabilitation centers are responsible for providing a full range of services for visually impaired and blind individuals. The purpose of this study was to document optometrists'' attitudes towards low-vision patients and to verify their knowledge concerning specialized low-vision services. A survey comprised of 14 questions was mailed to 498 randomly selected optometrists. The survey was distributed throughout the province. The response rate was 40%. Of the surveyed optometrists, 39% reported performing low-vision exams. More than 90% correctly identified low-vision organizations in their region. Only 5% mentioned “never” or “rarely” referring patients to low-vision centers. Sixty percent of optometrists reported that their patients “sometimes” or “often” refused to go to the specialized low-vision center. Only a modest proportion of optometrists performs comprehensive low-vision exams. On the other hand, they are generally aware of rehabilitation services available in their region and regularly refer patients to the specialized low-vision center. Nevertheless, there remains a low participation rate (26%) of eligible elderly patients in the visual rehabilitation centers. Future investigations should address the reasons why patients are hesitant to attend such specialized centers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAssistive technology (AT) is crucial for aiding activities of daily living in individuals with visual impairment; yet, without systematic follow-up device abandonment rates remain high. This scoping review synthesizes existing literature on follow-up processes in individuals with visual impairment undergoing vision rehabilitation with AT. Employing the Arksey and O’Malley framework, this review comprehensively searched seven databases, identifying 1,061 articles, of which 43 were selected for analysis, using the concepts of visual impairment, rehabilitation, and assistive technology. The publications span from 1989 to 2022. Most studies (n = 36, 83%) utilized a mixed-methods design, and 51% (n = 22) originated from the United States. Devices for near vision were the most commonly prescribed type of AT. Follow-up methods included questionnaires and interviews, with most follow-ups conducted at the client’s home. Follow-up timing varied across studies, whereby 37% (n = 16) occurred after one or more years and 33% (n = 14) between one week and four months. Three categories of outcome measures emerged: generic outcomes, task-specific outcomes, and a combination of both. The review identified several gaps in the literature, including a scarcity of research concerning follow-up of AT particularly for both the type and timing of follow-up.The study emphasizes the need for rehabilitation professionals and researchers to adopt standardized follow-up assessments that consider timing, frequency, and evaluation methods, enhancing AT usage, reducing device abandonment, and ensuring effective rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with visual impairments.Both generic (quality of life) and task-specific (functional use of AT) outcomes should be evaluated together, as they are interrelated and affect rehabilitation success. Incorporating emotional well-being alongside functional assessments will improve intervention strategies and better tailor them to individual client needs.Successful rehabilitation should treat AT follow-up as an integral part of evaluating all four factors that affect AT abandonment rates: the intervention (rehabilitation process), the person (their needs and preferences), the environment (context of AT use), and the device (performance and perceived benefits).Remote follow-ups, such as telerehabilitation, could be a solution for accessibility and continuity, offering a promising approach, especially for individuals in remote areas.The study emphasizes the need for rehabilitation professionals and researchers to adopt standardized follow-up assessments that consider timing, frequency, and evaluation methods, enhancing AT usage, reducing device abandonment, and ensuring effective rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with visual impairments.Both generic (quality of life) and task-specific (functional use of AT) outcomes should be evaluated together, as they are interrelated and affect rehabilitation success. Incorporating emotional well-being alongside functional assessments will improve intervention strategies and better tailor them to individual client needs.Successful rehabilitation should treat AT follow-up as an integral part of evaluating all four factors that affect AT abandonment rates: the intervention (rehabilitation process), the person (their needs and preferences), the environment (context of AT use), and the device (performance and perceived benefits).Remote follow-ups, such as telerehabilitation, could be a solution for accessibility and continuity, offering a promising approach, especially for individuals in remote areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To document health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and subjective quality of life (SQOL) and explore their correlates in older adults seeking services for visual impairment (VI)., Method: A convenience sample of 64 participants (79.3 +/- 5.9 years) with VI was interviewed at home. HRQOL was measured with the Visual Function Questionnaire-25 and SQOL with the Quality of Life Index. The potential correlates were as follows: personal factors (sociodemographic characteristics, co-morbidity, depressive symptoms, activity level), environmental factors (technical aids, social support) and participation in daily activities and social roles (level and satisfaction)., Results: Compared to normative data from previous studies of older adults, the participants had lower HRQOL but similar SQOL. Greater level of participation in social roles, higher perceived activity level, use of a writing aid and greater satisfaction with participation in social roles together explained better HRQOL (R2 = 0.66). Fewer depressive symptoms, greater satisfaction with participation in social roles and with social support and fewer co-morbidities together explained better SQOL (R2 = 0.70)., Conclusions: HRQOL of older adults with VI is mainly explained by level of participation correlates, while their SQOL is mainly explained by depressive symptoms and satisfaction variables. The results also underscore the importance of social roles for HRQOL and SQOL of this population.

Purpose: (1) to document participation in daily activities and social roles of older adults seeking services for visual impairment (VI) and compare it with that of the older population without VI or other disabilities, and (2) to explore correlates of their participation., Methods: The 64 participants (46 women) had an average age of 79.3 years (SD = 5.9 years) and presented various types of VI. Participants were interviewed at home to collect information regarding their visual function (National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25), sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale), and participation (Assessment of Life Habits/LIFE-H). Each participant was matched with another person without disabilities randomly recruited from the community. Results for the two populations on the Life-H participation domains were compared using t-tests. In the group with VI, general information (independent variables) was examined in relation to participation main scores (dependent variables), followed by multiple linear regression analyses., Results: Participation in daily activities and social roles of participants with VI (mean +/- SD (/9) = 6.8 +/- 1.0 and 5.6 +/- 1.6, respectively) was significantly lower than that of participants without VI (8.1 +/- 0.4 and 8.3 +/- 0.4) (p < 0.0001). Depressive symptoms and perceived quality of distance vision were the strongest correlates and together explained more than 65% of the variance in the participation scores of the subjects with VI., Conclusions: This study demonstrates the participation restrictions associated with VI and underlines the importance of psychological aspects in participation.