Society Receives $15,000 from M&M Whitmire Family Foundation to Help Seniors Losing Vision

Seniors with vision loss in the Sacramento region will have greater access to tools for independence, thanks to a $15,000 grant from M&M Whitmire Family Foundation in Roseville to Sacramento-based nonprofit Society for the Blind. The grant will help fund Society for the Blind’s Senior IMPACT Project that empowers people 55 and older with alternative, non-visual techniques and skills that enable them to perform day-to-day tasks and activities so they can maintain or increase their independence.

“As the senior population continues to grow rapidly in Sacramento, it is imperative that we provide services that help them stay as independent as possible,” said Shari Roeseler, executive director, Society for the Blind. “When seniors begin to lose vision, they are not only three times more likely to fall and experience injury, they often feel profound loneliness. This grant from the M&M Whitmire Family Foundation helps us ensure they have a support system so they can feel hope and possibility.”

The Senior IMPACT Project includes an eight-day retreat offered monthly at Society for the Blind that gives seniors an immersion experience where they learn alternative techniques and skills to travel safely, efficiently and independently. They practice alternative techniques and use adapted tools to perform tasks of daily living including cooking, cleaning, shopping, home maintenance, organization, personal finance and more. They learn how to use the latest in assistive technology to operate computers and mobile devices for home, school and work, and they learn Braille. Participants receive individualized attention from instructors and mentors who are blind or low vision, and they have the opportunity to join in discussion groups with peers on issues around vision loss and participate in community activities.

For those unable to attend retreats, Society for the Blind sends instructors to their homes to teach skills and offer resources. The Senior IMPACT Project also includes monthly peer support groups for English and Spanish speakers and workshops throughout the year.