October 22 - Shopping with Low Vision

I really don’t like shopping. I don’t think that I liked it much when I could see, but these days, shopping is more than just a challenge. Even when I am with a guide, the idea of choosing the items I want is an exercise in frustration. When I am by myself, it is almost an impossible task.

One of the very few positive things about COVID was that Lyle did all the grocery shopping. I told myself that this was because we were following the guidelines of only one person from the household going into the store, but now that I know that Lyle can do it all, it has become routine. We have developed quite a system where I keep a running list on my computer and Lyle does all the actual running around.

While we seem to have covered the idea of grocery shopping to our mutual satisfaction, there are still occasions when we need to buy other items. The other day we ventured in to one of the larger department stores where I needed to buy some lingerie and a suitcase. I wanted to actually see both items and not just to attempt to see pictures on a screen. I put on my low vision badge and off we went.

I will tell you up front that shopping in the women’s lingerie department isn’t Lyle’s idea of fun. However, we were fortunate. The sales assistant noticed by badge, commented on how it was helpful for her to know that I needed assistance, and then provided that assistance while Lyle sat on a chair in the corner. She made it so easy for me.

In the same store we proceeded to the luggage department. I was feeling pretty good about the ease of my first purchase. However, the experience was not repeated. As we struggled with sizes, colours and mostly zippers, another sales assistant approached. She gave my low vision badge a casual glance and asked if she could help. We explained our problem. Her response was not what we expected. “Yes,” she muttered as she walked away, “those things are tricky aren’t they!”

I will continue to wear my low vision badge. It’s perhaps not as obvious as my white cane but using a cane in a crowded store isn’t always convenient. I’m just glad that I don’t need to do any more shopping for a while.

October 1 - Sight and Memory Loss

My friend has become very forgetful.  I am sad as I watch him struggle with confusion at memory loss. However, his experiences have made me even more aware of the significance of memory and routine to someone with limited or no sight.  As a partially sighted person, I know I depend on both memory and routine.

I am fortunate in that I am quite good at remembering numbers and words.  I think I have more phone numbers in my head than I have on the contract list on my phone.  To a certain extent, it avoids frustration, but I suppose that my brain must also be filled with some unnecessary trivia!

While I am okay with remembering names, I can’t put the names with faces.  Of course, it doesn’t help that I can’t see the faces, so I try to attach the name to the sound of a voice.  I’m not very good at that.

Routine and organization are also key!  I rarely lose my keys, wallet, phone, or sunglasses as I nearly always put them in the same place.  Note the words “rarely” and “nearly always”.  No, I am not perfect but I also know that a place for everything and everything in its place can avoid a truckload of frustration.  I know that I can’t simply just “look around” to find something in the wrong or misplaced spot.

So, while I know that vision loss and memory loss can happen to any of us, it is difficult when they happen together.  We can’t change the course of our lives, but must live to the full each day as it is given to us.