March 6 - Sanitizing at the Airport

With the recent scary spread of the corona virus, I think that we have all become much more aware of the importance of hand washing and sanitizing any surface we touch. However, if you are a cane user, I wonder if you have considered sanitizing the handle of your cane?

A few years ago as Lyle and I disembarked from a flight I saw a fellow passenger wiping down the handle of her white cane. This was something I had never thought of doing but I think that this passenger was likely just ahead of her time.  I spoke with the woman as we were waiting for our luggage and commented on her action.

She said, “Have you ever noticed how many people touch your cane when you come through security ... and that’s probably only the half of it!”

Since that time, I have noticed exactly that. It starts when I place my cane in the bin to pass through security at the airport. These are the bins that are used by every passenger as they place luggage, jackets, and other personal paraphernalia in the bins – bins that are used over and over again all day long. I wonder if they are ever cleaned, disinfected or sanitized.

Often as I come through the screening process an agent will reach out a hand to guide me through or perhaps hand my cane to me. Sometimes an agent will pick up my cane to examine it. How many other hands has the agent touched with those gloved hands and now those same hands are on the handle of my cane?

Lyle and I are flying again tonight and I have my hand sanitizer in my back pack – along with some wipes to clean my cane handle. I will also wipe down the seat buckle on the plane, the meal tray and the door handle of the washroom. Of course we are hoping that if other passengers aren’t feeling well, they will simply stay at home, but in the meantime we are taking our own precautions, saying a little prayer and hoping for a safe and healthy time away from home.

March 1 - An Expensive Magnifier

At our last support group meeting, Isabel asked if I knew how she could get a new hand held magnifier. Of course I contacted CNIB and once again felt disappointment and frustration at the closure of the subsidiary CNIB offices and the Alberta sales rooms. The closure, yes I know that I am beating a dead horse, is such a disservice to rural clients.

So, when I called the Edmonton CNIB main office, I was told that in order to purchase a new magnifier, Isabel would need an updated eye report from her doctor or optometrist. Once CNIB had received this, Isabel could make an appointment to be evaluated by the nurse at the Edmonton office. Only then would she be able to purchase a hand held magnifier that would be right for her sight. Isabel didn’t know the magnification of her current magnifier and so it would be difficult to guess what would be a stronger magnification and simply order a device online.

What expense is involved with this? Well, Isabel doesn’t drive and so would need a driver for the approximately 220 kilometre round trip to the city.  At the government rate of 58 cents per kilometre, this would be $127.60 for the return trip. Add to this the cost of parking in the downtown area of the city. Then there is the cost of a meal for both Isabel and her driver – that is, if she is even able to find a driver to take her. All this and then add in the cost of the magnifier.

Isabel is 94 and when I explained this procedure to her, she has more or less decided that she will have to live with the inconvenience and frustration of a magnifier that doesn’t quite meet the needs of her failing eyesight. It would have been so much simpler for Isabel to find a driver to take her to the much closer Red Deer office and by trial and error find a magnifier that would work the best for her. However, this is now out of the question and it appears that we who live in rural areas like Isabel, must now try to balance our needs for vision devices against the cost that is entailed in the acquisition of these devices.