Eleanor* came to us really low in mood due to her deteriorating eyesight. She was banging into things and struggling to find her way around, which made her very anxious. When we started working with Eleanor, she cried almost every time we met. However, although she was upset and understood that her eyesight could not be ‘fixed,’ she told her Recovery Worker what a relief she found it just to have someone listening to her concerns. We referred her for Sight Loss Counselling with the RNIB, who could support her much a much more in-depth understanding of what she was going through the blind. We also helped Eleanor to start some voluntary work, as she still wanted to get out and support others despite her own condition.

As Eleanor began feeling better and was starting to feel she could manage without our support, her pet dog died suddenly, which devastated her. We made regular calls to her to check on her wellbeing, and managed to get in touch with an agency that helps partially blind people to access guide dogs. The organisation was so understanding and called Eleanor for an assessment the same day that our referral was made. Eleanor will be meeting her new guide dog in the next few weeks, who will be a fantastic companion for her and help her to maintain her independence and wellbeing!

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* This case study is from a real client of MHM, but the names have been changed and the photo has been staged by an actor to protect their privacy.