082Are we Seeing the Bigger Picture? Older Adults with Low Vision – The Role of the Occupational Therapist

Abstract

Background: Age related eye conditions lead to significant functional implications for older adults. With an ageing population, we should expect a marked increase in the number of older adults with a vision impairment and low vision. Guidelines recommend that occupational therapists (OT) should be assessing vision's impact on daily functioning and offering education to improve and maintain independent living and a visual screen should be completed for older adults with a falls history. A clinical audit was completed to check whether the OT in the Medicine for the Older Person outpatient day hospital are screening vision and adhering to best practice guidelines. Methods: A retrospective audit of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) forms was completed using a paper count method. Data including age, sex, low vision (LV) diagnosis, vision screening, falls history, referral to low vision services (NCBI) and community OT referral was collected. Results: 64 outpatient CGA forms reviewed, (16 male; 49 female). No patients had a visual screen. 81% wore glasses (n52). 45% had a recent fall and nearly half of the population had a LV diagnosis: 38% (n24). 46% of those with a diagnosis had a recent fall. OT referred 30% (n7) of those with a LV diagnosis to NCBI (without a visual screen being completed) and only 46% of those with LV were referred to community OT. There was no record of clients with LV receiving educational information. Conclusions: The OT's in our day hospital are not assessing vision's impact on function. Patients are not being offered education about self-management strategies and are not consistently being referred to NCBI and community OT's for environmental assessment. A visual pathway has been developed and is being piloted and audited with a view to improve practice and patient outcomes in the day hospital.