Emma Hope is a Community Worker for Sight Scotland. Emma says she loves the positive impact her work has on people’s lives.
“I would urge anyone with sight loss to get in touch with us because we really are here to help.
"Family members and friends of people with sight loss are encourage to get in touch too."
Emma says:
"As a Community Worker, it is my job to support people to learn or re-gain essential living skills following a diagnosis of sight loss.
"It is our job to try and ensure everyone we help can keep doing the everyday things that are important to them, while also developing essential skills to live safely at home, and to navigate the world with confidence."
“We know sight loss can be scary, it can be isolating, and it can leave people feeling very low and upset.
"It is our job to show people what is still possible and to help them to start living their life again one step at a time.”
We are here to help
“I would urge anyone affected by sight loss to turn to us for help. We also support families and friends.
"What we do genuinely makes a huge difference, even doing the smallest things for people can make a huge impact on their quality of life… just knowing someone is coming in for chat can be so important.”
What I do
“I will visit the person with sight loss in their home and give them as much support and information as we can.
"Our team can assess what they need, and identify what specific challenges and practical difficulties they may be experiencing. Then, we can provide information about what help, and support is available.
“Another big part of our job is telling the clients about the new technology that is available, as this can be life-changing. For example, if someone cannot read their mail, we can show them the latest equipment which can help them to do this."
"It is not just the person with sight loss we support, we help family and friends as well.
"We help them to gain an understanding of how they have been impacted by sight loss and provide them with some strategies to help.
Don’t go through sight loss alone
Emma says, “The majority of people I visit are quite elderly, and they often feel very socially isolated. We may be the only people they see on a regular basis, so we form close friendships.
"It is really important we give them information on support groups they may like to join and also encourage them to join our brilliant Befriending Service. Our clients need to know they are not alone and that help and support is available.
"It is not just the person with sight loss we support, we help family and friends as well. We help them to gain an understanding of how they have been impacted by sight loss and provide them with some strategies to help.
"Everything we do is designed to make a huge positive impact on anyone affected by sight loss,. IIt is just so rewarding to see the difference we make to people’s lives.”
You can call our Support Line on 0800 024 8973 or contact us through our website page below.
Turn to us today
Our free support line is there for you, no matter what severity of sight loss you have.