WBRC Outreach: San Francisco VA VIST Team Meeting

Image: Matter of Balance Logo

On June 13th WBRC was honored to be invited to present to the Visual Impairment Services Team monthly meeting at the San Francisco VA Hospital Campus.  Mrs. Summer Beasley, MA COMS, WBRC Blind Rehabilitation Specialist presented to the group, consisting of the VIST Coordinator, Blind Rehabilitation staff members, a Veteran representative, as well several service Chiefs including Optometry, Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics, and Rehabilitative Nursing about the WBRC's Matter of Balance Program.

In 2015 the WBRC piloted a new fall prevention program called Matter of  Balance.  Matter of Balance is a nationwide, evidence based fall prevention program for older adults.  It addresses the fear of falling, fall prevention measures, and simple exercises to promote health and balance.

The program was developed through research by the Roybal Center for Enhancement of Late-Life Function at Boston University.  Matter of Balance is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase the activity levels of older adults who have concerns about falls.

The WBRC is the first VA and first Blind Rehabilitation Center to adopt this program.  It is also the only Matter of Balance program that is offered as inpatient treatment for Veterans with visual impairment.  The program runs for four weeks and is group based with up to six Veterans and up to three Matter of Balance Coaches.

Some information about the program:

• Matter of Balance group classes take place twice a week.
• Veterans have the opportunity for one-on-one assessment and training options in additional skill areas such as Orientation & Mobility, Living Skills, and Visual Skills.
• Matter of Balance daily group exercise sessions starting in week two.
• Additional group educational sessions on MyHealtheVet and devices such as use of a grabber/reacher (as many falls involve reaching for objects).
• Matter of Balance group Community Outings provide the opportunity to apply newly learned skills. 
• Veterans may also participate in regularly scheduled WBRC Recreation Therapy activities, as well as the Student Forum and the Relaxation Group.
• Access to skilled nursing care 24 hours per day.

Interested Veterans with Vision Loss apply to the program by talking to their Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinator about being referred to this specialty program, or can contact the WBRC at (650) 614-9952 to learn about Matter of Balance or future session dates.

If you would like to see if there is a local Matter of Balance session meeting near you, use this link to look up Master Trainers by state: http://www.mainehealth.org/mh_body.cfm?id=5195

If you are aware of an event which would be a good opportunity for WBRC Outreach or would like WBRC to come speak to your group, please contact Lindsay Hass, WBRC Blind Rehabilitation Specialist and WBRC Communications Committee Co-Chair at Lindsay.hass@va.gov or call the main WBRC line at (650) 614-9952 to make a request.

 

WBRC Announces CNVR Program Coordinator

Photo: Katherine Taylor, WBRC CNVR Coordinator

WBRC is proud to announce that Katherine Taylor has accepted the position of Comprehensive Neurological Vision Rehabilitation (CNVR) Program Coordinator.  Ms. Taylor has been a Visual Skills Blind Rehabilitation Specialist at the WBRC since November of 2012, and she is also a certified Brian Injury Specialist and Licensed Speech Pathologist.  Ms. Taylor has a Master’s Degree from California State University Hayward (East Bay) in Speech Pathology and Audiology, and she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at University California, Berkeley.  She is accredited by ACVREP as Certified Low Vision Therapist.  Congratulations Katie!

WBRC Welcomes New Living Skills Instructor

Photo: Craig Eckhardt, New WBRC Living Skills Instructor

 
WBRC is proud to announce that Craig Eckhardt has accepted the position of WBRC Living Skills Instructor.  Mr. Eckhardt started on February 9, 2015.  Mr. Eckhardt is a recent transplant from New York City, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Vision Rehabilitation from Hunter College.  He is dually ACVREP certified in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy as well as Orientation and Mobility.  Mr. Eckhardt has worked in the blind rehabilitation field for many years, teaching at various residential and itinerant programs throughout the United States, including Colorado, Iowa and New York.  Welcome to the WBRC Team Craig!

WBRC Welcomes New Living Skills Instructor



Photo: Delaney Stein, New WBRC Living Skills Instructor

WBRC is proud to announce that Delaney Stein has accepted the position of WBRC Living Skills Instructor.  Ms. Stein started on February 9, 2015.  She completed her Master’s Degree in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy at Western Michigan University (WMU) in 2014.  She also completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology at WMU in 2012.  Ms. Stein is accredited by ACVREP as a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist.  She previously interned at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Chicago.  Welcome to the WBRC Team Delaney!


2014 WBRC Annual Review Available Online

Photo: Cover of the 2014 WBRC Review

The 2014 WBRC Review has just been published and is available online.  The ‘WBRC Review’ is a Fiscal Year (FY) review of the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center (WBRC) for stakeholders including former and current students, prospective students, family and caregivers, VA staff and volunteers, and anyone interested in learning about low vision and blind rehabilitation services available to Veterans and Active Duty Service Members through the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.  The FY 14 edition  includes information about the WBRC including outcome measures and demographics as well as articles about our building construction, special programs, WBRC New Faces, and how to stay up-to-date with WBRC News.  The annual fiscal year ‘Review’ will also be printed and mailed to WBRC students who attended the program during FY 14 as well as to prospective and scheduled students.  It will also be used for WBRC outreach and is available to all stakeholders online on the WBRC Website and WBRC Blog. 

CLICK HERE to view the PDF Version

CLICK HERE to view the Text Only Version

CLICK HERE to view the WBRC Website

February is Low Vision Awareness Month

Photo: A WBRC Veteran learns to use a CCTV to read printed material. 

Here's eye-opening news: Currently, 4.2 million Americans ages 40 and older are visually impaired. Of these, 3 million have low vision. By 2030, when the last baby boomers turn 65, the number of Americans who have visual impairments is projected to reach 7.2 million, with 5 million having low vision.

For the millions of people who currently live or will live with low vision, the good news is there is help. Vision rehabilitation can make a big difference to a person adjusting to vision loss and should be considered a key part of a patient’s overall care.

Vision rehabilitation can include the following:

• Training to use magnifying and adaptive devices
• Teaching new daily living skills to remain safe and live independently
• Developing strategies to navigate around the home and in public
• Providing resources and support

But, what is low vision? Low vision is when even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, people have difficulty seeing, which makes everyday tasks difficult to do. Activities that used to be simple like reading the mail, shopping, cooking, and writing can become challenging.

Most people with low vision are age 65 or older. The leading causes of vision loss in older adults are age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and glaucoma. Among younger people, vision loss is most often caused by inherited eye conditions, infectious and autoimmune eye diseases, or trauma.

For people with low vision, maximizing their remaining sight is key to helping them continue to live safe, productive, and rewarding lives.

The first step is to seek help.

For Veterans and Active Duty Service Members with vision loss there are a wide range of resources available through the VA Health Care System. The first step is contacting one of the VA’s VIST Coordinators.

The Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinators are case managers who have responsibility for the coordination of services for visually impaired Veterans and active duty Service Members.  VIST coordinator duties include providing and/or arranging the provision of appropriate treatment in order to enhance functioning such as making referrals to Blind Rehabilitation Centers, Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Services, VICTORS, VISOR, and low vision clinics.  Other VIST coordinator duties include identifying newly identified individuals who have severely disabling visual impairment, providing counseling, problem resolution, arranging a review of benefits and needed services, and conducting educational and outreach programs relating to VIST and blindness.

Veterans and eligible active duty Service Members should contact the VIST Coordinator in the VA facility nearest their home or by contacting the Blind Rehabilitation Service Program office at 202-461-7317. 

The VAPAHCS VIST Website is also an excellent resource and can be viewed by CLICKING HERE.

WBRC Welcomes New Computer Access Training Program Supervisor

WBRC is proud to announce that Glenda Buscarello has accepted the position of WBRC Computer Access Training Program Supervisor.  Mrs. Buscarello started in December of 2014.  Mrs. Buscarello is a graduate of San Francisco State University where she obtained degrees as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and in Orientation and Mobility (O&M).  She is accredited by ACVREP as a Low Vision Therapist, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, and an O&M Specialist.  She is also a Veteran who retired from the United States Air Force Reserve in 2006 after 21 years of service.  She previously worked for the University of Colorado, Boulder as the Disability Access Coordinator and has also taught college courses covering a variety of computer equipment and software including JAWS, ZoomText, and iPad/iPhone.  Welcome to the WBRC Team Glenda!

WBRC Welcomes New Nurse Manager

WBRC is proud to announce that Roschild Grullon has accepted the position of WBRC Nurse Manager.  Ms. Grullon started in September of 2014.  She is a registered nurse with a Master's Degree in Public Health Administration from New York University.  She previously worked at New York Presbyterian/Colombia University Medical Center and has practiced in cardiology, OB and behavioral health.  Welcome to the WBRC Team Roschild!

WBRC Welcomes New Visual Skills Instructor

WBRC is proud to announce that Charity Son has accepted the position of WBRC Visual Skills Instructor.  Ms. Son started in August of 2014.  Ms. Son graduated from the Northern Illinois University Special Education Master's program in 2013.  She interned at the VA Central Blind Rehabilitation Center from 2012 to 2013 and is accredited by ACVREP as a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist.  She previously worked at the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired providing low vision, daily living skills, and orientation and mobility instruction as a Rural Outreach Coordinator.  Welcome to the WBRC Team Charity!

Blind Rehab Services Soar During 2014 CARF Accreditation Survey

Image: 'ASPIRE to Excellence' CARF Accredited Seal

The VAPAHCS Blind Rehabilitation Service is proud to announce that we participated in a two and a half day survey by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) August 6^th through August 8^th,  2014. 

What is CARF?

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) provides accreditation services worldwide at the request of health and human service providers.  Through accreditation, CARF assists service providers in improving the quality of their services, demonstrating value, and meeting internationally recognized organizational and program standards.

The accreditation process applies sets of standards to service areas and business practices during an on-site survey. Accreditation is an ongoing process, signaling to the public that a service provider is committed to continuously improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community. Accreditation also demonstrates a provider's commitment to enhance its performance and distinguish its service delivery.

CLICK HERE for a link to the CARF International Website

The CARF representatives completed a thorough survey of our Blind Rehabilitation Services including a facility inspection, interviews with students and staff, examination of our scope of services, standards, memorandum, and policies, review of inpatient and outpatient programming, outcome measures, quality of services provided, etc.

The exit briefing for the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center CARF Survey was held Friday afternoon.  The CARF Team  Leader and Administrative Surveyor Leslie Levin and the Program Surveyor Eileen Slutsky began the session congratulating the staff…

There were NO recommendations!  The WBRC is 100 % compliant with all standards.

The exit briefing consisted of outlining the many strengths they found in the program.  Of note, the surveyors commented on:

• The high degree of satisfaction of the Veterans interviewed with the program.  Veterans and their families described their experience as “magical, transformational, eye-opening”.  The exemplary staff.  They noted the diversity of experience and the dedication of the staff to the mission and Veteran-Family centered care.  The commented on the dignity and the respect shown to the Veterans.  They noted an exemplary culture of teamwork and how much the staff clearly are dedicated to their work and the mission of the WBRC.
• Access to donated funds to provide travel for caregivers attending the Family Training Program.
• Concentrated efforts to provide outreach (WBRC Blog, Newsletter, Human Guide Training to VAPAHCS Services).
• Rehabilitation Nursing Services: Ability to provide admissions to patients with high acuity of care.
• The cutting edge innovations they encountered in every program including assistive technologies, the CNVR Program, the iProgram and the leadership in research.
• The continuous improvement culture.
• Evidenced based best practices.
• The clean and inviting environment of care.
•  Recreation Therapy community reintegration.
•  Increased access to care.
• The quality of the leadership.

Congratulations to the  entire team for an exemplary survey! 

VisionAware Publishes Article About WBRC's CNVR Program

Photo: John Kingston works with a veteran on the NVT light panel for scanning training.

VisionAware has published an article by Mary D'Apice about the WBRC's Comprehensive Neurological Vision Rehabilitation (CNVR) program  for veterans and active duty service members with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) related vision loss.  The article included a review of some types TBI related vision loss and some of the specialized treatment that the WBRC provides to enhance the ability of people with TBI related vision loss to use their remaining vision. 

CLICK HERE to read the VisionAware Article

CLICK HERE to learn more about the WBRC CNVR Program

WBRC Welcomes New CNVR Program Coordinator

Photo: Ms. Leanne Wakefield, new WBRC CNVR Coordinator

 

WBRC is proud to announce that Ms. Leanne Wakefield has accepted the position of WBRC Comprehensive Neurological Vision Rehabilitation (CNVR) Program Coordinator.  Ms. Wakefield started the position on Feb. 24^th, 2014.  Ms. Wakefield has a Master’s of Social Work from University of Southern California and a Master’s of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from CSU Fresno. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor and also a certified case manager.  She has over seven years of experience working at a level I trauma and burn center within acute medical and acute rehabilitation units providing case managed and social services.  Welcome to the WBRC Team Leanne!

 

CLICK HERE to learn more about the WBRC CNVR Program

WBRC Launches 'iProgram'

Photo: An Apple iPad 4 and iPhone 4

The WBRC has launched the ‘iProgram’.  Although the iPad and iPhone have been taught previously as a specialty Computer Access Training (CATS) program, the ‘iProgram’ is a departure from the traditional CATS structure.  The length of the program has been changed from an average of 4 week admission to a 2 week admission to better meet the needs of our Veterans.  The new 'iProgram' is an intensive program similar to the basic program.  The Veteran receives one on one instruction for 6 periods a day with 3 different instructors.  Another new component of the program is the Technology Lab, which is taught an additional period during the day in a group setting.  It covers advanced skills outside the basic skills parameters.  Up to three participants are brought in at a time to work on either the iPad or the iPhone.  Many Veterans report enjoying the camaraderie and skill reinforcement experienced by working together outside of the schedule class periods. 

The iPad and iPhone both have built-in accessibility software to magnify or provide verbal output to allow access for the visually impaired or blind population.  The iPhone and iPad each act as a portable computer and offer many of the same functions users enjoy on their desktop or laptop computer.  Once the basic core competencies have been met for issuance, treatment is individualized for each Veteran based on need and skill level.  During the basic program, the Veteran will often master basic skills of the Phone (iPhone only), Contacts (address book), Calendar, Notes, Mail, Siri and Safari (Internet).  In the technology lab, the Veteran may master advanced skills using iCloud, iTunes, Camera and Photos.  An advanced iProgram is also available for Veterans who would like to return to continue to learn advance functions of the device.  If you are a veteran or active duty service member with vision loss interested in participating in the iProgram please contact your VIST to request a referral.

The Western Blind Rehabilitation Center (WBRC) is a 27-bed residential facility located at the Menlo Park Division of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Approximately two hundred veterans and active duty service members of all ages participate in the program each year. More than three quarters have usable vision for which specialized treatment is provided. Adjusting to and managing visual impairment is the major objective of the program. If you are in the area and are interested in a site visit, please call (650) 614-9952 to make arrangements.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the WBRC