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Across the world, the population is aging rapidly, and with age comes a greater risk of certain health conditions; among these, vision loss is one of the most significant.

According to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), more than half of residents in assisted living or care homes are blind or have low vision. Long term care facilities cannot afford to treat vision loss as a marginal issue.

Yet, many care facilities can have challenges in offering an accessible experience. Menus, schedules, signage, and paperwork are designed primarily in print formats, leaving residents dependent on staff for even the smallest of tasks. This in turn can lead to other significant issues that impact both residents and care staff alike, including reduced resident independence, increased staff strain, unhappy and disconnected family members, and potentially reduced profits.

The Cost of Inaccessible Care Environments

When accessibility for blind and low-vision residents is overlooked by a care provider, they face many avoidable challenges. Reading a meal plan, finding a room, or completing paperwork are daily tasks that many residents are very capable of doing. But for others, that independence can be lost as they would require staff interpretation and support even for simple tasks such as these.

Many care providers often don’t see an issue here, as they are still helping the individual and providing support. However, the problem has implications.

For residents who are blind or have low vision, they can very quickly feel a loss of independence, frustration, and in some cases, it can even affect their mental well-being.

For care facilities, spending a minute or two assisting a resident with reading a menu, for example, might not seem like a lot, but dozens of requests a day soon add up and can take away from critical care giving. By providing accessible solutions, this time can also be saved.

When you consider that 96 percent of assisted living facilities and 99 percent of nursing homes in the United States are experiencing staffing shortages, according to The American Health Care Association, every minute of staff time saved is hugely beneficial.

The Benefits of Improving Accessibility 

Accessibility should never be a box-ticking exercise. It goes far beyond compliance and legislation. When care organizations embed accessibility into the core of their operations, they can benefit from;

1.    Reduced strain on staff members.

With staffing shortages, hiring a new nurse or caregiver can be challenging and existing staff members often have a full plate. When care is accessible for blind and low-vision individuals, however, what would otherwise be frequent micro interventions (reading menus, accessing schedules, and help with choosing clothes to wear) can now be done independently by the resident.

This reduces strain on staff by freeing up time and gives them additional capacity to do medication rounds, for example. Reduced strain on staff helps mitigate the costs of labor shortages.

2.    Boost in resident satisfaction.

When blind and low-vision residents are able to carry out daily tasks with independence, they enjoy a greater quality of life, feel less isolated, and in general are likely to feel happier and more satisfied with the long term care facility they are living in.

This increase in resident satisfaction can reduce turnover and potentially bring in additional business through word of mouth.

3.    Improved family confidence.

Putting a loved one in care is an emotional journey for families. Oftentimes, several family members are involved in the process, and the well-being of their loved one is the top priority. When a resident is unhappy, this extends to their family, who, over time, can lose trust and confidence in a facility. On the flip side, when a resident feels confident, independent, and empowered, their family typically feels the same.

Accessible care means happy residents and a family that has confidence in the facility they have put their trust in. As with the boost in resident satisfaction, this can also help reduce resident turnover and bring in new business.

How Technology Can Improve Accessibility

When businesses think about accessibility, one of the first things that comes to mind is cost. While implementing accessibility solutions will come with a cost, the long-term benefits outweigh this many times over.

The truth is, providing accessible care doesn’t need to cost hundreds of thousands or take years to update buildings, thanks to the latest advancements in technology. While there are many physical adjustments to facilities that can also be made to improve accessibility, one of the biggest advancements is AI.

For blind and low-vision people, AI has been particularly useful. Specific AI software can, for example, interpret menus and activity timetables from a photo and read these aloud to a resident. With forms and paperwork, a blind resident can take a photo, upload it to an AI platform, and get an almost instant, detailed description of what it is.

AI, when implemented correctly within a care facility, truly enables greater independence for the blind and low-vision community. Care providers who recognize this now will benefit for many years to come, along with their staff and residents.

Where to Start?

As a care provider wanting to improve accessibility, the first place to start is by conducting a resident and family satisfaction survey. This not only highlights where frustrations currently exist but also signals to families that their voices matter.

From there, care home managers should take the time to speak directly with blind and low-vision residents in one-on-one conversations. No checklist or policy can replace the insights gained from lived experience, and residents will often suggest simple, inexpensive improvements that make a meaningful difference in their day-to-day lives.

With this feedback in hand, the next step is to carry out a thorough accessibility audit. This includes evaluating menus, signage, activity boards, paperwork, and the technology currently in use, alongside the physical environment.

Finally, facilities should prioritize any quick wins identified from the surveys and audit. This might be something as simple as offering large-print or braille menus or having a strategy for implementing technology solutions.

Andy Bailey is chief marketing officer at Be My Eyes, an accessibility management platform for people who are blind or have low vision.