Practical support more important than financial assistance, say St Dunstaners
Source: St Dunstan's
08 Oct 09
To mark World Sight Day, St Dunstan’s has released research to highlight the importance of practical and emotional support in rehabilitating visually impaired and blind ex-Service men and women.
Practical help is the most important element of support needed when a person loses their sight, reveals the research from St Dunstan’s, the national charity providing lifelong support and rehabilitation to blind ex-Service men and women.
The research questioned St Dunstan’s beneficiaries*, asking them which element of the assistance provided by the charity – emotional, practical and financial – was most important to them. Half of the blind ex-Service personnel (49%) ranked practical support as most important, followed closely by emotional support, with 36% stating that this type of assistance was most important. Only 15% of the St Dunstaners questioned stated that they thought financial help was the most essential element of the charity’s support.
The recent debate surrounding UK veterans receiving the correct financial assistance**, while important, still needs to call for an holistic approach to care within the ex-Service Community – which embraces the financial, emotional and practical. Feedback from beneficiaries has consistently indicated that St Dunstan’s is filling a gap which exists by funding and providing specialist practical assistance and emotional support tailored to each individual’s unique needs and abilities.
‘Sight loss can be devastating.’ Says St Dunstan’s President, Ray Hazan, who was blinded and lost his arm after a parcel bomb exploded in Northern Ireland in 1973.
‘When someone loses their sight they face a long, challenging journey of rehabilitation. Emotionally, they may feel isolated and frustrated by their situation. In practical terms, they will need to re-learn many of the everyday tasks they once took for granted. My first realisation that I hadn’t lost everything came around three weeks after the explosion. I was visited by a member of the St Dunstan’s team, who gave me a tactile watch and taught me to tell the time through touch. It was this practical support which for the first time made me realise I could regain independence – it was something to live for. I still remember my first day at St Dunstan’s, I heard the chatter and laughter of other St Dunstaners, the positive attitude of those I met was catching and it changed my mindset. I went through an intensive rehabilitation programme which meant St Dunstan’s specialist staff worked with me to set goals based on what I wanted to achieve. Each day I learned a new skill or technique, helping me to become more independent. With the help of St Dunstan’s, I learned to touch type and was able to fulfill my goal to return to work and support my family. Now I’m incredibly proud to be President of this organisation.’
All new St Dunstaners are invited, along with a partner, carer, or friend to travel to
St Dunstan’s Centre in Ovingdean to attend an introductory week. Over the week, specialist staff called ROVIs assess each individual’s needs and devise tailored training programmes. Many St Dunstaners arrive feeling fearful and isolated but nearly all leave with a renewed sense of confidence and achievement; intensive one-to-one sessions with key staff, introductions to practical techniques and meeting others who have overcome the same challenges, help them see that blindness is not the end of the world.
St Dunstaner and former Corporal in REME, Simon Brown said:
“In 2006, while on a rescue mission, I was hit by sniper fire, sustaining severe facial injuries and losing my sight. When I returned home I was traumatised and, above all, needed to be with people who understood what I had been through. As well as all the invaluable and practical support offered by St Dunstan’s, it was the sense of belonging and understanding that I received from the St Dunstan’s community that has helped me to stay positive. They have supported me in working towards a qualification in IT and with my application to college to teach mechanics. I’m also a member of the younger St Dunstaner Group, we meet up to discuss new ideas and initiatives, share a joke and keep each other smiling.”
*all blind ex-Service personnel are known as ‘St Dunstaners’
**the issue of pensions and other financial support available to veterans has been the topic of significant media and political debate