Marsha Marcoe, (L to R), Braille Institute Santa Barbara Director of Philanthropy; Jon K. Hayashida, O.D., FAAO, Braille Institute Clinical Advisory Board Member; Robert A. Kolarczyk, M.D.; Michael Lazarovits, Braille Institute Santa Barbara Executive Director; Tracy Alfino, Braille Institute Santa Barbara Technology Specialist. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Recently, healthcare providers and professional caregivers in Santa Barbara County gathered at Braille Institute Santa Barbara for a Distinguished Speaker Breakfast: Aging in Place with Vision Loss. Breakfast presenters Jon K. Hayashida, O.D., FAAO, Braille Institute Clinical Advisory Board Member and Robert A. Kolarczyk, M.D., Board Certified Ophthalmologist presented attendees with ways to better serve patients facing progressive and permanent vision loss with new tools as well as community and home-based programs. With simple solutions, people of all ages with vision loss can live safely and independently in their homes and communities.
The Distinguished Speaker Breakfast: Aging in Place with Vision Loss was the first of a series of Braille Institute Santa Barbara events geared at raising awareness about local resources for people and families experiencing vision loss. Upcoming events will be open to the general public. They will take place on March 8 (event focus will be Nutrition and Kitchen Safety) and April 5 (event focus will be Technology for people who have permanent sight loss). This event series is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation.
About Braille Institute: Braille Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate barriers to a fulfilling life caused by blindness and severe sight loss. It serves tens of thousands of people of all ages each year through a broad range of educational, social and recreational programs and services designed to help people of all ages with vision loss lead enriched and fulfilling lives. Funded entirely by private donations, all services are completely free-of-charge. Braille Institute is online at www.brailleinstitute.org, and on Facebook (BrailleInstitute) and Twitter (@BrailleInst).