Sensory Service helps Bill regain his independence

Bill, who lives in Maldon, had reached a point where everyday tasks were becoming difficult. Reading his mobile phone, checking cooking instructions, reading letters, and even enjoying books on his Kindle in the evenings had all become a struggle.

Four years earlier, Bill lost his wife Marie, who had lived with Parkinson’s disease and spent her final years in a local nursing home. Bill still visits the home twice a week to stay connected with the friends they made together, cooking with them on Wednesdays and enjoying coffee and cakes on Thursdays. These visits are an important part of his routine, but his declining sight was making it harder for him to stay independent and confident.

Tailored Support from ECL

Bill was introduced to Gill Jones, an ECL Sensory Rehabilitation Worker, who supported him across five structured sessions. Gill’s aim was to help Bill regain confidence, maintain independence, and offer practical ways to adapt to his changing vision.

Together, they focused on simple, effective adjustments and accessible technology tools that could make a meaningful difference in his daily life. Gill supported Bill to:

• Adjust the accessibility settings on his laptop to make text and screen features easier to see and navigate.
• Access the RNIB Talking Books Service on his mobile phone, enabling him to continue enjoying books without needing to read print or screens.
• Use Siri for communication, including making phone calls, dictating WhatsApp messages, asking Siri to read incoming messages aloud, and opening apps hands‑free.
• Use Seeing AI, an app that reads printed materials aloud. This allowed Bill to read menus, letters, product labels, prescriptions and other printed information at home and out in the community.

Bill embraced every piece of technology introduced to him and quickly began using these tools in his day‑to‑day life. The change was immediate and profound. Tasks he had been struggling with became achievable again, and he could reconnect with activities he loved - especially reading. Using Seeing AI to read labels has meant he can still help out with the cooking sessions he loves at his late wife’s nursing home.