Screening tool made free to boost vital eye health checks for care home residents

Thomas Pocklington Trust is marking National Eye Health Week by announcing two new initiatives aimed at improving the eye health of older people in care homes.

Two initiatives have been launched after research by the sight loss charity found there is a lack of understanding among care home staff of problems caused by vision defects, which has led to the eye health of residents being widely overlooked.

Sarah Buchanan, research director, Thomas Pocklington Trust said: "Eye health is one of the few health issues where simple steps can radically transform an older person's life. We know that up to half of eye problems could be prevented or corrected if residents were encouraged to have professional eye tests. It is ridiculous that, for a lack of awareness of that basic fact, residents in homes across the UK are suffering unnecessary sight loss."

A screening tool has been made free to all care homes in a bid to improve the detection of eye problems in older people, and a recently piloted workshop for staff is being developed for extended use in care homes.

Sight loss has been found to increase the likelihood of depression, falls, immobility and general ill health and Pocklington has described the vital role care staff play in ensuring residents receive eye care when they need it most.

The sight loss charity piloted an interactive training workshop delivered by ambassadors aimed at changing misconceptions of care home staff about what is classified as ‘sight loss’ and improving understanding of the problems caused by vision defects in their residents.

The 30 minute workshop showed staff the positive impact regular eye tests can have on an older person’s quality of life, after it was found up to half of the elderly population in care homes live with preventable visual defects correctable by access to proper eye tests and eye care.

Ms Buchanan said: "Solving this problem will never be a case of finding one solution. Piloting the idea of ambassadors has shown that a workshop is welcomed by staff and is successful in raising awareness of sight loss. It has opened doors to care homes and fostered a debate between eye health professionals and care home staff that can only help as we continue to develop better ways to raise awareness of eye health inside care homes."

The pilot revealed over 90 per cent of staff members felt they learned new skills and all participants felt it was a valuable use of their time.

The Trust is planning ways to extend the use of the workshop to reach as many care home staff members as possible.

The Thomas Pocklington Trust also found there is currently no routine screening process in use to test older people who might be experiencing eye problems.

Initially released in 2011, the Eyes Right Screening Tool is being re-issued after its popularity meant 1000 copies were distributed throughout the year.

Ms Buchanan said: "This is just one more tool in the effort to help care home staff be more aware of residents' eye health. Eyes Right is a quick and easy way to identify a possible problem. Once they are made aware, it's clear that staff can help to improve residents' lives - just by arranging professional eye tests. We hope such initiatives as training and screening tools will throw a spotlight on this and put an end to undetected sight loss in care homes."