Terry’s story: Regaining independence at home after sudden sight loss

Home care after sudden sight loss

In 2019, Terry lost his sight completely and suddenly, following a diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. There was no gradual decline to prepare for. One day he knew his home perfectly, and the next he could not find his way around it, dress himself or make a meal.

He was also coming to terms with the loss of his wife, who had been receiving end-of-life care at home.

Terry did not want to be looked after. He asked for one thing: a Care Expert who could help him organise his house well enough to keep living in it.

He did not face this alone. Sight for Surrey, and Steve there in particular, helped Terry adjust to life without sight. Workers for the Blind put many of his practical arrangements in place. Sharon, previously of Home Support Elmbridge, still supports him independently today. Bluebird Care has worked alongside that support, rather than replacing it.

How home care helped

Every part of Terry’s care plan started with a question, not an assumption: how did he want it done? Care Experts began in his bedroom, sorting shirts, jumpers and trousers into places he chose, so he could learn the layout of his own wardrobe. Cupboards, shelves, the fridge and the garage followed, all organised in a system only Terry needed to remember.

Today, Terry dresses and washes independently and can tell any Care Expert where each item of clothing belongs. He knows which room he is in by which door is closed. He goes into his own garage and chooses his own wine. When his shopping arrives, he brings it in himself and directs his Care Experts on where each item belongs.

Dignity, for Terry, has been about being asked, not told. A Care Expert remembers which shelf the cheese goes on, then leaves him to serve his own lunch. Over time, that respect has become a real relationship, the kind where a Care Expert can share a laugh with him, not just deliver a visit and leave.

Support has moved with Terry. When he needed more help, the team gave more. When he needed less, because he had developed the skills and confidence to manage himself, the team gave less. Within four years, twice daily visits had become simple check-ins for meals and medication.

Safety remains part of every visit. Terry has a falls risk assessment and safe medication support, and his Care Experts act as his eyes for hazards he cannot see for himself.

The team around Terry

Tajana has been Terry’s main Care Expert since around 2020 and knows him better than almost anyone. When she is away, she batch cooks and freezes meals and sauces, so any covering Care Expert can simply defrost and serve something that is unmistakably Terry’s.

The wider team keeps in touch through a shared group chat, so everyone knows what is in the freezer and how Terry likes things done. That continuity means Terry has never had to explain his routine from scratch to someone new. Behind it is an office team that matches the right Care Expert to the right customer and keeps every Care Expert up to date on a plan written around one person.

What I value is her ability to cook for me, as I’m blind, and how she keeps my house clean, meaning I can stay at home. In cooking, Tajana has a natural flair. In housekeeping, she goes above and beyond, always using her initiative where others may have missed things.

- Mr TM

Living life on his own terms

Good care is measured by how well it supports the life a person wants to lead, not by how much of it they receive. For Terry, the measure of his care is how little of it he now needs.

The snippet is unchanged. I also removed “Terry’s plan is his own...” and “sets clear expectations from day one”, since the first repeated the “question, not an assumption” point and the second added nothing.