Finding a New Normal
It started slowly almost 8 years ago with a slight darkening of the sight in her left eye and the annoying floaters. Floaters look like black or gray specks, strings, or cobwebs that drift about when you move your eyes and appear to dart away when you try to look at them directly. They commonly occur as people age and sometimes resolve on their own. But unfortunately for Roxianne, her sight worsened. A close friend who had lost her sight referred her to the Seabury Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired seven years ago.
Roxianne has been a client of the Center since then. The Center supports older adults in Washington, D.C. by helping them make the physical and emotional adjustments to living with visual impairment and blindness.
Roxianne is not blind but her vision is heavily impaired. She knows that her sight isn’t going to get any better and will likely worsen in the years to come. At first the depression was overwhelming. And while Roxianne tried to remain stoic around her children and grandchild she couldn’t deny the fear and sadness. Roxianne came to realize that there was a certain amount of grieving that she needed to process. It was as if a part of her was dying but it wasn’t happening suddenly. It was slow and grueling. Roxianne realized that to work through the grief, she needed to spend time with other people, now her closest friends at the Center, who could help her understand that all was not lost. Now, despite the hurdles she has faced she maintains a gregarious smile and exudes a contagious enthusiasm.
Roxianne is living her best life at 87. She is in a much better place and, according to her, it’s because of the help offered to her by the Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She is at the Center almost every day enjoying music exercise class, crafting, and her favorite - plant therapy. She says it would be difficult for her without the Center because, although she has family (great great grandchildren in fact!), they are all living their own lives and working. The Center gives her something to look forward to each day and provides a sense of community. Besides the activities her other favorite part of the Center is lunch. She enjoys the balanced meals and the opportunity to eat with her friends.
Roxianne loves to come to the Center and be with her friends. All of her closest friends are also clients of the Center. As a result she has become a zealous advocate and promoter of the Center. She knows that getting older means adjusting but it doesn’t mean you give up your interests or your independence. And Roxianne certainly hasn’t!
Seabury’s mission is to provide personalized, affordable services and housing options to help older adults in the greater Washington, DC area live with independence and dignity. Your donation is an investment in the future of people like Roxianne and her friends at the Seabury Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired. We need long term partners to help continue DC institutions such as the Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Please Click on the Donate Link on our website to make a contribution.
