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Sydney East: (02) 9412 9300

Sydney West: (02) 9891 4914

Low Vision Clinic: (02) 9412 9342

Guide Dogs Centre: (02) 4579 7555

ACT: (02) 6285 2988

Albury: (02) 6041 5201

Wollongong: (02) 4225 9247

Ballina: (02) 6681 1667

Newcastle: (02) 4925 3066

Orange: (02) 6362 6625

Tamworth: (02) 6761 3152

Wagga Wagga: (02) 6925 3559

Coffs Harbour: (02) 6652 7424

Or contact us at www.guidedogs.com.au/contact-us

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides all of its services, including mobility aids, free of charge.

To refer someone to us, with their permission, please phone your nearest Guide Dogs office on:

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permission from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. You can view our privacy statement on our website at www.guidedogs.com.au.

Fiona Ryan from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’s Newcastle office challenged herself to

find an activity that would motivate older people with vision loss to be active and get out of their homes. “Most of us have had some knowledge of bowling and there is usually a club not too far from where we live,” she thought as she came up with the answer – social bowls. It turns out all age groups are interested in the sport.

With the help of Wayne Thomson, President of the Australian Blind Bowls Association (NSW), his wife, Lynne, and Bruce Ball, the bowls manager of Charlestown Bowling Club, Fiona secured a venue with a supportive environment, plenty of knowledge about establishing groups and how to introduce the game of bowls to new players.

Clients of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT were contacted through ‘Soundtracks’, an audio newsletter of Guide Dogs, and by call ing them directly.

‘A Day on the Green – Come and Try’ days were held over two days (Sunday for those who worked or went to school, and then repeated on Monday). A total of 17 people came along; 10 new bowlers on Sunday, 7 new bowlers on Monday. Some friends and family also participated. On the Sunday,

Wayne Thomson ran the program giving everyone a great introduction to the game of Bowls. On the Monday, Bruce Ball and Fiona replicated Wayne’s program. Two later bowls days provided a further opportunity to practice skil ls learnt.

A regular group now meets every second Wednesday of the month at Charlestown Bowling Club. Mark Whitemann, Bowls Australia’s Community Development Officer (Newcastle and

Central Coast NSW) has committed to supporting the group with instruction and guidance on the days the group meets.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’s Hunter region team now promotes the group to those who may benefit from taking part in an activity, or socialising with others in a similar situation, reminding them of the meeting times and assisting with orientation services so that the bowlers can get independently to and from their bowling club.

Well done Fiona!

G he uideIssue 6 | Autumn 2013

Judy and her Guide Dog Boyd practise their bowling.

Colin, a professional ice skater who performed

all over Europe, has Lyme disease, contracted through a tick bite when he was 25. At the time, the doctors explained that this would affect his vision later in l ife. Colin’s sight began to deteriorate around 10 years ago and has declined slowly since. He describes his vision as l ike looking through fog. As a result of his vision loss, Colin did not leave his house very often unless accompanied.

Confidence to travel

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Following a fall, Colin referred himself to Guide Dogs.

Support from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT initially focussed on a low vision assessment to determine if any low vision aids would assist Colin with reading and safe road crossings. He was initially reluctant to receive a long cane. However he knew he needed training in how to use one due to his deteriorating vision. This involved a weekly one-hour session for 3 months.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT successfully advocated on Colin’s behalf to have his local council install a pedestrian island near his home, as he was having diff iculty crossing there during peak hour.

After gaining increased confidence and independence, Colin decided to start GPS training and absolutely loved it. He’d never used a computer or mobile phone before, so he initially found the technology diff icult to learn and understand. His enthusiasm and positive attitude helped him succeed.

GPS has given Colin the confidence to travel to unfamiliar areas. These include trips to Manly, the City and Wisemans Ferry to name a few

places he regularly travels to. Colin even uses his GPS-enabled phone to identify his bus stop, which means he doesn’t have to rely on the driver or other passengers.

Colin is now very independent and often comments about how the services provided by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT have improved the quality of his l ife. Recently, he made the hard decision to stop travell ing independently at night, as he finds this extremely diff icult. Yet Colin is not too worried about this, as he makes the most of his time getting out and about during the day!

Jeanette is currently training with her third guide dog, Takira, after a break of twenty

years since her second dog retired. She is enjoying walking at a faster pace again with her new dog.

Even though Jeanette is of a generation not generally used to using technology, she embraced a program provided by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT in how to use a Trekker Breeze talking GPS. The device tells Jeanette where she is on a bus route, and has also assisted her with locating safe road crossing points and negotiating tricky turns on paths.

Jeanette’s main travel route is visiting her local shops in Wentworthville. While she is not travelling on her own just yet, Jeanette is very motivated to be as independent as possible, and we feel it won’t be long before she ventures out on her own.

Life has begun to turn aroundConfident youngster

Motivated to be independent

3-year old Hugo was born with congenital abnormalities resulting

in him having no vision in one eye and low vision in the other. Hugo’s mother was concerned about his motor skill development and ability to use his remaining vision. She noticed he was hesitant when moving around, especially on uneven surfaces, and observed he was often comfortable playing with a hat over his eyes. Following a referral to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Hugo’s confidence and speed of movement increased considerably when he was given a pre-cane device. He was no longer apprehensive walking without holding onto an adult’s hand, or needing to use the support of a nearby wall. Hugo’s mobility lessons progressed to long cane training a couple of months later. He is now a confident youngster who is excited to go out and happily takes his cane wherever he goes.

Hugo is no longer apprehensive walking without holding onto an adult’s hand

Recently, Wendy travelled with Judy by car to a local coffee shop to give her the opportunity to practise getting in and out of a car; using her walker in a crowded and unfamiliar environment; managing money; dealing with staff; and ordering coffee.

Judy says Wendy has worked hard to achieve her goals and also attributes the program’s success to the involvement and support of Wendy’s physiotherapy team, support staff and the management at her nursing home.

As the program continues, Wendy is very excited with her achievements and is keen to learn more and progress further.

Wendy’s confidence is growing and she can now better manage her vision loss and have more control over her life

Wendy Williams, who had experienced a number of falls due to low vision caused by

a stroke and other conditions, was concerned she was going ‘totally blind’ when she wasn’t. She was losing her self-esteem and independence and was relying on others to do everyday tasks. While she uses a wheeled walker to get around, her range of activity was limited due to growing anxiety and a fear of falling.

Wendy’s vision loss has also been confusing for her, her family, friends and staff at Calare Nursing Home, Orange. As she wears glasses it’s easy to assume that Wendy has normal vision. In reality, as a result of cataracts, astigmatism and a stroke, Wendy has lost the ability to see things at close range or down low. Depth perception is also a problem, meaning she could miss a step or lose her balance on uneven surfaces. Making things even more confusing is that Wendy’s vision fluctuates.

Since working with Orientation & Mobility specialist Judy Rogers from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’s Central West office, in conjunction with Calare’s physiotherapy staff, Wendy’s life has begun to turn around.

“We have been helping Wendy to better understand the complexities of her vision loss,” says Judy, who tailored a training program to suit Wendy’s needs. “Her confidence is growing and she can now better manage her vision loss and have more control over her life.”

The program Judy has developed for Wendy exemplifies the diversity of specialised services Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides free of charge to help people with any level of vision loss to get around safely and independently.

Judy said a key focus of their work has been encouraging Wendy to manage her anxiety associated with loss of balance when faced with uneven surfaces.

Wendy Williams with Judy Rogers (left) and Julie Mulvey from Calare Nursing Home.

Photo supplied by Central Western Daily, Orange.