Program tackles mental and emotional side of vision loss
NEW PORT RICHEY — The loss of vision is often a traumatic experience, exacerbated by other losses that can include independence, livelihood, and self-esteem.
“If you ask most people their greatest fears, losing their vision is going to be up there in the top five,” Stefanie Pontlitz told the Suncoast News in a telephone interview. Pontlitz is CEO and executive director of Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind, which provides services and training for people of all ages living with impending or current loss of vision.
Successful adjustment to vision loss is often a continual process that involves developing adapted skills and maintaining them through periodic training and counseling.
“Regardless of how they're losing their vision, the process of grief is still the same,” Pontlitz said. “You still experience this anxiety and this grief when you're going through vision loss, and it's emotional and it's unnerving. There’s just a lot a lot of things people go through.
“The last 40 years, we've addressed the physical to help get them through that. How do you stay independent in your home? How do you manage your life the way you always have? How do you get things done? How do you live in everyday life? Which is super important. But over the last few years, a focus on mental health has really come forward, not just with us, but nationally, in every sector.”
With that in mind, in October, Lighthouse established the Adjustment to Vision Loss program (AVL) to help adults and seniors accept and adjust to vision loss and improve their self-esteem.
“We’ve got full classes regularly,” Pontlitz said. “(AVL) really addresses the mental and emotional side of vision loss. We still do the physical side and make sure that they're independent and safe. But how are they processing it? How do you adjust to those feelings? How do you adjust to the way people treat you? How do you adjust to the way you see yourself. All those mixed emotions really have to be processed.
“Even people who have lost their vision or have been blind for a while can still come back and take the class. Our instructor, Nancy Branciforte, is amazing at pulling out those emotions and getting people to open up. Once they see their other classmates are experiencing the same anxieties and the same uncertainties, it really helps them feel more comfortable with what they're experiencing and what they're going through — realizing they're not alone.”
Lighthouse’s AVL program is provided in groups over five to seven sessions. Activities, customized based on client strengths and weaknesses, may include physical relaxation training, anger management, depression causes and treatments, personal growth and self-esteem exploration, and guided discussions.
AVL is free to all participants. To learn more about the program, call Nancy Branciforte at 727-815-0303. To learn more about the Lighthouse, visit www.lvib.org.
