We are proud and excited to introduce our new Low Vision Therapy program! Available exclusively through Cooperative Home Care, in St. Louis and surrounding counties, “low vision” refers to vision problems that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery. If you qualify for Medicare home health and meet the vision criteria, Medicare will pay 100% for this service.
On behalf of Cooperative, we’re all excited to share this great resource that can be life changing for its clients. I personally have met many home health care clients who are cognitively and physically strong, yet their independence is compromised because of their decreased vision. Or, their low vision combined with their physical needs render them unsafe at home without assistance and supervision. This decline in independence is uniquely frustrating; now individuals suffering from diseases like Age-Related Macular Degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma have access to a program with proven results.
The Low Vision Therapy program works in two ways: it enhances one’s vision that is not affected by disease, and it implements specialized environmental modifications in one’s home.
Cooperative’s Low Vision Therapy program is currently accepting referrals and will begin providing services on Monday, June 21st. Here’s how to get started: call 1-800-HOMECARE (in MO) or read more here. Jessica will answer all of your preliminary questions. Our Low Vision Works team will ensure you are Medicare eligible, and will help you get the required doctor’s order to start your services. All services are performed in your home and begin with an evaluation by one of our team nurses, followed by therapy visits from one of our specially trained occupational therapists, including Christina Stephens, D.O.T. After your vision enhancement is complete, the second part of the program modifies your home environment, to ensure you are as safe and independent as possible at this final vision level.
So, what do you think about this new program? Let us know!