Nora Griffin-Shirley, PhD, Texas Tech University,
n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu
Laura Bozeman, PhD, University of Massachusetts
Boston, Laura.bozeman@umb.edu
Anita Page, MEd, Texas Tech University,
anita.page@ttu.edu
1.
Participants will learn strategies to work with
older clients (55+) in the provision of O&M
instruction.
2.
Participants will explore issues commonly
experienced by older O&M clients.
3.
Participants will have a simulation activity
after which a dialogue will ensue concerning
their experiences and solutions for effective
instructional strategies.

Short Presentation

Simulation Activity

Dialogue



Health
Psychological – depression, isolation, dementia,
lack of self-confidence & self-esteem,
unavailable informal supports (family, friends),
cumulative effect of many losses & inadequate
coping skills (Brennan & Bally, 2007)
Physical – hearing; orthopedic; diminished
touch, taste & smell; other conditions (e.g., high
blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, etc.)

Financial – longer hospital stays, increase in doctor’s
visits, poverty

Falls

Non-driving concerns

Older adult’s attitude toward blindness (Brennan,
Horowitz & Reinhardt, 2004)

Strong sense of spirituality (Brennan & Bally, 2007)

Impact of deafblindness
What are some issues you have
noticed when providing O&M
services to this population?
1.
Pair with a partner
2.
Go to all stations & complete activities
3.
Note concerns you had completing the
activities & what you did to successfully
accomplish the task or cope
4.
Jot down items for discussion


What concerns did you have when
completing the activities?
What did you do to successfully
accomplish the task or cope with it?
Strategies for
Providing
O&M Training
to Older Adults


Increase physical activity on a daily basis
Get seniors involved in a regular exercise program
such as walking or Tai Chi after their physicians have
given permission for starting an exercise program
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)


Discuss with personal trainers and exercise
program instructors how they can modify
their teaching to include verbal cueing and
assisted movement, if needed, for students to
be successful.
Have seniors try new recreational activities
with a friend and discover what
modifications may need to be made with the
actual recreational skills and the environment


Access transportation and routes to a fitness
facility, and advocate for familiarization to
this facility and access to educational
materials distributed by the facility
Have seniors journal their thoughts and
feelings while they are starting an exercise
program to document the effects it has on
their lives and the impact on their orientation
and mobility


Have seniors initiate social interactions with friends
and others to make them feel comfortable about
exercising together
Have seniors experiment with their low vision
devices during recreation activities to understand
what works best and how to care for these aids
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)



Use an andragogical approach
Schedule lessons at the most appropriate time
of day to maximize a senior’s learning based
on her functional abilities
Plan the duration of a lesson to accommodate
for a senior’s health condition and stamina
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)


Choose the locations and content
of lessons that are going to
contribute to meeting the most
immediate O&M goals of a senior
Adjust the delivery of a lesson’s
content to facilitate a senior’s
comprehension


Share with the senior observations of her
performance and her evaluation reports
Discuss O&M goals with the senior and her family
members as well as their feelings about independent
travel and how it fits into their lifestyles
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)


Provide initial objectives that are meaningful but
readily attainable & lead to successful experiences
relevant to attainment of the senior’s orientation
and mobility goal
Create teaching materials that enhance the senior’s
comprehension of lesson content, involve a multisensory approach, and tap into the senior’s
preferred intelligences
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)


Make sure the older adult does not think you
are overprotecting her due to her age because
the senior’s perception of overprotectiveness
could interfere with her desire to become an
independent traveler (Cimarolli, Reinhardt &
Hororwitz, 2006).
Choose highly motivating routes to teach
seniors (Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)



Choose the most appropriate environmental
modifications for the senior’s home to maximize
safety and travel efficiency
Use memory techniques and devices if the senior has
memory problems
Respond promptly to senior’s who are crying or
extremely emotional during lessons
When appropriate, include caregivers in your lessons,
teaching them ways to support the senior’s
independence and safety
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)




Recognize that senior’s may use a variety of
mobility tools and orientation aids
Become well versed in the use and maintenance
of tools and aids and how to train the senior’s to
use them
Use a team approach
(Griffin-Shirley & Welsh, 2010)




Needed for communication, respect and joint
decision-making on behalf of senior
COMS defines what independence resembles for
senior (Pogrund & Griffin-Shirley, 2011)
Teams in assisted living facilities, hospitals,
nursing homes, VA BRCs, low vision clinics
representing various professionals
Different models – What model do you see used
most often?






Brennan, M. & Bally, S.J. (2007). Psychosocial adaptations to dual sensory loss in
middle and late adulthood. Trends in Amplification, 11(4), 281-300.
Brennan, M., Horowitz, A., & Reinhardt, J.P. (2004). Understanding older
Americans attitudes, knowledge, and fears about vision loss and aging. Journal of
Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation, 3(3), 17-38.
Cimarolli, V.R., Reinhardt, J.P. & Horowitz, A. (2006). Perceived overprotection:
Support gone bad? The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and
Social Sciences, 61, 18-23.
Pogrund, R. & Griffin-Shirley, N. Collaboration in providing orientation and
mobility to the older adult. In N. Griffin-Shirley & L. Bozeman, O&M for Life.
Unpublished manuscript.
Griffin-Shirley, N., & Welsh, R. L. (2010). Teaching orientation and mobility to
older adults. In W.R. Weiner, & R.L. Welsh, Blasch, B.B., (Eds.) Foundations of
Orientation and Mobility (3rd edition, p. 286-314). New York: AFB Press.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control &
Prevention, (2010). Summary of Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health
Interview Survey, 2009. (CDC No. Number 362.1’0973’021s—dc21) Retrieved
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/new_nhis.htm