Coping with Age-Related Vision Loss to Maintain Occupational Engagement: A Narrative Account

Abstract

Introduction

This narrative inquiry study aimed to explore older adults’ stories about how they have coped to maintain occupational engagement, despite living with age-related vision loss (ARVL).

Methods

Six older adults, ≥ 60 years of age with ARVL participated in three interviews each, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Coping was grouped into three overarching themes namely psychological, social, and behavioral coping strategies.

Conclusion

Results from this study have identified how older adults with ARVL cope to maintain participation in occupations. Findings highlight the need for increased healthcare support, including occupational therapists, to help older adults aging with vision loss identify and integrate adaptive coping strategies to enhance their occupational lives.

Keywords:

• Age-related vision loss
• older adults
• occupation
• coping
• occupational engagement

Acknowledgements

This study was completed in the loving memory of Thelma Stampp. The authors would like to thank the staff members at the CNIB, CCB and the AEBC for supporting our recruitment efforts as well as the study participants who shared their time and stories with the first author throughout the duration of this study.

Institutional review board

Western University Non-Medical Review Ethics Board.

Ethics committee reference number

119269.

Authors contribution

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows. Study conception and design: Zakara Stampp and Colleen McGrath. Data analysis and interpretation of the data: Zakara Stampp and Colleen McGrath. Drafting of the paper: Zakara Stampp, Aleksandra Zecevic, Carri Hand and Colleen McGrath. Revising the paper critically for intellectual content: Zakara Stampp, Aleksandra Zecevic, Carri Hand and Colleen McGrath. Final approval of the version to be published: Zakara Stampp. Finally, all of the listed authors, including Zakara Stampp, Aleksandra Zecevic, Carri Hand and Colleen McGrath agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly. Due to the sensitive nature of the research, supporting data is not available.

Additional information

Funding

No funding to declare.