Safety First

Today I'm nursing a badly bruised right knee, broken left big toe and some singed fingers. Constant bruising and the odd burn here and there is part of everyday life nowadays, the broken toe is less common but now I've had both big toes broken as a result arthritis is creeping in. Minor injuries are part of the life for people with restricted vision and balance loss, I'd imagine people with acquired loss are more susceptible. The combination of accepting need for greater care and adjustments to improve safety. The elderly don't like making changes even logical ones, I've met a few either with registered acquired dual sensory loss or those I've suspected to have it, in every case I've found that same stubborn reluctance to accept the need to de-clutter and make the home safer.

I'm not elderly yet though rapidly (and reluctantly), working my way through middle age. With a large family who pop in occasionally with the ever expanding list of small grandchildren and two active cats the potential for injury intensifies. Neither cats nor grandchildren understand that they can't leave toys laying underfoot, jump out from behind corners or sprawl out on the stairs waiting for me to pass. Thankfully only the cats do the latter but both are responsible for so many injuries.  Today's ones were the result of my youngest grandson and a Thomas the Tank rocker, it's not a tiny rocker but laying directly in the path of someone with extremely limited vision it might well have been as tall as a horse and I'd still not have spotted it. .

Adults are remiss too, leaving cups near the edge of the coffee tables, discarded bags and shoes. It's not deliberate thoughtlessness just another aspect of invisible disability and the inability to comprehend sensory loss. When senses decline gradually as often happens with acquired loss, the reluctance to acknowledge the extent of personal loss has an averse affect on the people closest to us, if we don't acknowledge difficulties seeing and hearing then others would never guess. Then there's a section of people, particularly the elderly, who experience the gradual sensory and don't even realise just how severely deafblind they've become. Friends and family miss the signs too. It's a catch 22 situation. 

For me bruises are frequent, broken bones occasional and burning food and self is a daily occurrence, Those pre cooked meals horrid and unappetising so the alternative is to cook hence the burns to me and everything else. It's easier to opt for fruit, some weeks I consume so much my vitamin levels must be sky high our ape ancestors would be proud of me. 

Explaining the reality of deafblindness is almost impossible and because my speech is pretty good and my battle to retain some independence is strong people can't always accept I'm deaf and almost totally blind. 

Making people aware that deafblindness has so many different effects and levels is equally difficult, they don't grasp how delicate sight and hearing are and how many things can cause the loss or one or both. There's so many unfair things I wouldn't wish on anyone and being cut of and isolated from the rest of mankind is one of them.   

Imagine you woke one morning and discovered you couldn't See or Hear Anything...

You knew there was electricity but you couldn't use the PC, ipad, texting, phone, TV, Radio, and had no idea if anyone was around you. You can't feed yourself, tins and packets are just shapes with no indication of what's inside. Your cut off from everything with no way out and completely isolated.

Far fetched?

No.

It happens to thousands of people.

Now imagine how you'd feel. Panic, helplessness, hopeless, isolated, frightened. You'd probably tell yourself you couldn't cope, scream inside and desperately want a chink of light or sound, anything at all to bring a little comfort and sanity.

Fortunately I've not experienced the total utter complete loss of both senses but it's inevitable. I've had time to accept and adapt but those around me can't possibly tell how much of my senses I've lost.

I suppose the notion of being reduced to an alien state of isolation evokes pity and sympathy from others but those things are worthless and don't bring relief or comfort. There's thousands of gadgets to enhance low sensory ability or compensate sensory losses, however costs leave far out of reach. One particular new invention would make enormous difference to many people including me. A glove that translates hand touch alphabet and enables deafblind people to send and receive text messages.

It's only a matter of time before someone invents a sensory gadget that alerts us to things laying in front of us or dangerous heat Etc. Until they invent these things and remember disabled people have equal right to participate in normal life and cost these items realistically, People like me will continue to suffer burns, bruises and broken bones.

Meanwhile my collection of scars bruises and burns continue to grow to such an extent I'm considering auditioning for the role of “Bride of Frankenstein.” They'd save a fortune in the make-up department!!