Right at home
First Minister salutes caring work of Jenny’s Well centre
Nicola Sturgeon was in Paisley yesterday to officially open a new care home for blind people.
The First Minister visited Jenny’s Well, a new care home in Hawkhead Road, which is run by Scotland’s largest vision impairment charity, Royal Blind.
Jenny’s Well is only the second specialist care home for sight loss in Scotland and has been designed specifically to meet the needs of vision-impaired older people.
Josie Lewis, 98, was the first resident of the care home, and said it has made a big difference to her life.
She said: “I have lived a good life, but in the last few years my health has let me down and I’ve needed to stay in care homes as I have macular degeneration, hearing difficulties, a heart condition and diabetes.
“Moving into a care home with expertise in sight loss has made a big difference to my care and I am very happy at Jenny’s Well.”
Resident’s at Royal Blind’s other care home, Braeside House in Edinburgh, were involved in planning the design of Jenny’s Well to ensure it provides the best environment possible.
Jenny’s Well includes a sensory garden, specialist lighting to reduce glare, tactile signs and access to specialist equipment.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I was delighted to officially open Jenny’s Well, meet Josie and some of the new residents, as well as the Royal Blind staff who are taking such good care of them.
“Through our ‘See Hear’ strategy, we are taking action to improve services, care and support for people in Scotland with sight loss, supported by almost £ 500,000 funding in the current year.
“The strategy recognises the impact of blindness on people’s lives and I commend Royal Blind for their important work in this area, as signalled by the opening of Jenny’s Well.
“With an increasing number of older people in Scotland experiencing sight loss, I would encourage anyone with concerns, either for themselves or a family member, to ensure they take advantage of the free sight tests available on the NHS and seek advice from health and social care professionals.”
There are estimated to be around 188,000 people living in Scotland with significant sight loss, and around three- quarters of them are over 65.
Sight loss is expected to double over the next two decades in Scotland to almost 400,000.
Chief executive of Royal Blind, Mark O’Donnell, said: “We are delighted that in our 225th year Royal Blind has been able to officially open this specialist new care home for older people with sight loss.
“We hope to work alongside care providers and others with expertise in sight loss to share learning and raise awareness of how best to support vision- impaired older people. Identifying when an older person has sight loss and ensuring they have the tailored care they need can have a big impact on their quality of life.”
I was delighted to officially open Jenny’s Well and meet some of the residents