If you are a veteran or know someone who is,
it's so important to be aware
of all the low vision services available to you.
In this episode,
Geo Athappilly of the Hines VA joins us to discuss more.
I'm Ricky Enger, and this is "Hadley Presents."
Welcome to the show, Geo.
So good to have you here.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate it, Ricky.
I am delighted to have the chance to talk with you
as we learn a bit more
about services available to our veterans.
And we actually have a member or two
who have gotten services from the VA,
and they're always such fierce advocates for it.
They love to tell anyone
about all the cool things available.
And I'm so looking forward to learning more
about that from you as well.
So before we get into our questions,
why don't you just tell us a bit about who you are
and what you do.
You're here at the Hines VA close to Chicago, right?
That is correct.
So as you said, my name is Geo Athappilly,
and I am a legally blind individual.
I was able to do my internship
after my studies here at Hines
at the Blind Center in the VA.
I've been here about a little bit under 20 years right now.
Wow.
Now, that's some longevity.
You must really love your job to have stayed there that long
and I can imagine why,
because it sounds like you all do
some really, really cool stuff there at Hines.
So I'm curious, I know that there are a lot of services
offered to veterans with vision loss,
and I'm wondering if we can just go through
a few of those things that are available.
Absolutely.
Any veteran that has the ability
to receive services from the VA
qualifies to get services from the VA Blind Center.
And when they come to the Blind Center,
they are able to participate in training
in a lot of different skill areas.
They include classes in living skills.
This covers training, learning how to do things
for everyday life like activities of daily living,
communications, working in the kitchen,
learning braille.
Then we also offer training in orientation and mobility.
This allows veterans to learn
how to use the long white cane for independent travel.
We also offer manual skills.
This is a class in which veterans get to learn
how to use their non-visual skills
and adaptive techniques in different activities
like leather work, woodworking, small engines, and music.
We also have a class of visual skills.
This is where we are able to teach veterans how to use
and maximize their remaining vision
with different things like magnifiers
and other low vision aids.
And then finally, we have the access technology department
where we teach both computers as well as smartphones
like the Apple iPhone and other iOS devices
so that they're able to use that growing technology bubble
that we are in today.
Oh yeah, for sure, it's so, so important.
So let's say that someone has a need for a magnifier at home
and once they learn how to use that,
are those devices provided to veterans,
or how does that work?
Absolutely.
So yeah, that's one of the greatest benefits
that we are able to do through the VA Blind Center
is to be able to issue different things like computers
and all the peripherals that come with the computers,
iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad,
and different things like that,
as well as magnifiers, CCTVs, and other low vision aids.
That's fantastic.
One question that has come up when I've spoken to veterans,
and I'm sure that people wonder, they might think,
"Well, I lost my vision once I was not on active duty,
so I probably don't qualify."
But I'm wondering if that's true.
Do you have to have experienced your vision loss
during your service?
Or what if it's something
like age-related macular degeneration
or anything like that, do you still qualify?
So the answer to that question
is that any veteran that is eligible to receive services
through the VA is eligible
to receive blind rehabilitation services.
And I think one of the unique factors that we are able to do
that might be slightly different from other rehab centers
such as at the state level and things like that,
is that a person may not need to even be legally blind.
You may have some functional vision loss,
and you can still be able to be eligible
to get some services through the blind rehab VA program.
Yeah, absolutely, you're right.
Because with state services,
you may need to be legally blind.
But you're right,
just because you have some functional vision loss,
that doesn't necessarily mean that you're legally blind.
But nevertheless, you still qualify for these services,
which is really, really good.
So I guess that begs the question then,
how does someone get started
to apply for services like this?
What's the process?
So most of the veterans that come through our program,
just like most individuals that experience vision loss,
they didn't expect this to happen to them.
It was not something that they were born with,
so they probably started off
going to their primary care doctor
and that's where they started experiencing some vision loss.
Then they probably went to the eye clinic
and then followed up with their eye care.
And at some point,
they get connected to what is called the VIST coordinator,
which is the Vision Impairment Service Team.
This individual is the one that usually schedules them
to come to the Blind Center to receive services.
And that process,
once they have connected with the VIST coordinator,
they will usually get an admission date within 28 days.
Once they get that admission to the Blind Center,
then, once again, they can be able to get services
either through inpatient training, outpatient training,
or through VA Video Connect, which is the remote training.
Okay, awesome.
So, it sounds like the VIST coordinator
is really the key to getting everything going for you,
if you're looking for services.
And if you are getting your care through the VA,
they're gonna know who that person is
and be able to get you in touch with them.
Also wow,
that's an incredibly short waiting period actually,
especially if we talk about other services,
you may be waiting nine months, a year,
in some cases a couple of years.
And that is true for various kinds of services.
So just because you're getting orientation
and mobility training,
you may still be waiting for technology training.
So it sounds like with services from the VA
it's happening a lot more quickly, which is wonderful.
Do services tend to,
let's say you're doing outpatient services,
so you're not going through
some of the more intensive training
that you might do in an inpatient setting,
are all of those services happening at once,
or do people get signed up for a couple
and then maybe a couple more?
How does that work?
Usually that's very dependent
on the geographical location of the veteran
and what services are available.
Not every location has blind rehab outpatient services.
And typically, when they do have outpatient services,
it's usually one skill area at a time.
So somebody might come out
and teach them mobility for two hours
and then they might have to come back
after a week or two or three weeks
to do additional training.
The more comprehensive training
is when you come to the inpatient program,
and that's when you'll have all the skill areas,
and you'll have a daily schedule
to go through all the classes.
And how long do those inpatient services usually last?
So what's kind of the commitment
of "I'm going to come in, I'm gonna do inpatient,"
how long are you gonna be there?
So every program is individualized to the veteran's needs,
but I would say an approximate average is four to six weeks.
Usually a veteran will come in
and that first week, week and a half,
they go through assessments.
During the time of the assessments,
the veteran and instructors can be able to decide together
what are the goals that the veteran needs to accomplish,
and that can determine
how long they want to be able to stay.
So I would say about four to six weeks is a good average.
Yeah, that totally makes sense.
And once someone has done
whether it is this very intensive inpatient services
or maybe they've gotten a couple of outpatient things
and maybe they've learned to cook,
they've done some cleaning,
but suddenly they're like,
"Hey, I really need to brush up on my technology skills."
Is there a limit to the amount of services
that a veteran can get,
or is it really just as you discover,
as you're going through your daily life
that you need something
then the VA services are here for you?
So there are no limitations on how many times a veteran
can come through the program, whatever program that may be,
whether it's inpatient, outpatient, or remote training.
However, when we do, especially, work with the veterans
during the inpatient program, we do encourage them,
"Go home, use the skills that you have learned,
see what works, see what doesn't work,
and give yourself some time to do that."
So we encourage them,
"If you've been here recently,
wait about a year so you can really figure out what works,
what doesn't work."
And then when you come back,
instead of just doing the same thing over again,
now you can focus on the new skills and understand,
"Okay, this is what I tried to do
when I went home, that was not very effective.
Let me focus on that."
So for example,
if they've been through the inpatient program
one time already,
they got a good overview of everything that they've done,
but they didn't do a lot of cooking.
But the second time they come around,
they may do a little bit more exploration
of the adaptive kitchen skills
and try a little bit more cooking.
Right, because it can be difficult
to learn everything you need to know all at once.
You may be really concentrating in one area,
and then once that's down
and you've really had some time to practice it,
then you're thinking, "Okay, hey, I conquered this.
I'm ready to tackle something else."
Can you talk just a bit about,
you've mentioned a couple of times
kind of the virtual or the video visits.
Is that in addition to say
maybe you come home from the inpatient service
or maybe you decide not to go in for that,
is that how the virtual video visits work
or it's in addition to whatever you've done
or is it instead of coming in for an inpatient?
It could be either way.
So the most traditional way
is always to be able to do the inpatient training.
You get the most hands-on experience that way.
You also get to meet a lot of other veterans
that are also going through the journey of vision loss.
So those are the definite pros of coming in
through the inpatient program.
But if a person is not able to come to the inpatient program
for whatever circumstance,
then they can always do the remote training.
It is also popular for people
to do some follow-up remote training
once they've completed the inpatient program.
Gotcha.
So we've talked about, so far, some really practical aspects
of adjusting to vision loss, learning to cook,
learning your technology,
figuring out orientation and mobility skills.
Are there also services or support groups or what have you
for just the social or the emotional aspects
of adjusting to vision loss
and whether that's for the veterans
or are there also things for families
as they're kind of adjusting to the change in vision?
Yes, we are blessed
to have the fact that we have
a lot of different services available for veterans
in the inpatient program.
So when they're here,
we have a full medical staff that can monitor
and help them with any medical needs.
If appropriate, follow-up needs to take place
in the main hospital,
we can do that, for example,
if they have to follow up with audiology
or podiatry or something like that.
We also have both social work
and psychology in the inpatient program,
and veterans can follow up with them
for their one-on-one needs.
There's also a lot of group classes that we offer,
and in these school group classes,
we discuss different options
of how to transition through the journey of vision loss,
how to improve confidence and empowerment,
how to integrate what you learn
into everyday life and society.
On top of that, we also have recreational therapy,
and we have a lot of different recreational outings,
and we encourage veterans to participate in these outings,
and this is another way that they can go out,
integrate into society,
learn to advocate and communicate
what they need as a person with vision loss.
So these are all ways
that we can be able to accomplish that goal.
That's great.
I think it is so powerful, just as you said before,
to be able to meet other veterans
who are going through this journey just like you are.
We know that having that community feeling,
that feeling of it's not just me
and I'm not alone
can really go a long way in the adjustment process.
Absolutely.
As well as for the family program training,
there is a couple different ways we can do that as well.
So whether veterans are inpatient program,
outpatient program, or through the remote training,
we can connect with family members
and we can educate them
by usually giving them a hands-on experience
on how to do different tasks,
sometimes under the blindfold.
And then as well as just helping them give them resources
to be able to kinda go through the journey of vision loss
along with their loved ones.
So if a family member is able to come into the Blind Center,
we can be able to make appropriate arrangements for that.
If they're not able to travel for whatever means,
we are able to do conference calls
or even video calls with family members.
So these are other ways that we can work with family members
to be able to help them go through the process as well.
That's fantastic.
What we've talked about so far is in Chicago.
So what you are speaking
from the experiences at the Hines VA.
But with that said,
there are other centers around the country
that do very similar things.
Now, I'm sure that you're biased and you're like,
"Hey, ours is the best,"
but if someone is not located in the Chicago area
and they still would like to get information
for either finding their VIST coordinator
or finding out what centers are in their area,
is there an easy way, maybe a website,
that people can go to to get that information?
I would say probably the easiest way
for veterans to get information
is they probably have a primary care doctor in the VA,
and then through that doctor
they can get connected to their local VIST coordinator.
And from there,
they can see what services are close to them
and what are available for them.
I think that would be probably the easiest way
for people to be able to get information.
There is the VA website,
and you can be able to go through that link
to be able to find different information,
but some of that stuff,
it may be different in different places
throughout the country.
Right, and then of course it can be confusing
doing these searches on sites
and you go down a certain rabbit hole
and you're like, "How did I end up here?"
So it sounds like the VIST coordinator
is really the best place to start
and just to get in touch with that person
through your primary care individual at the VA.
Wow, this has really been very informative
and I'm so happy to know that there are so many services,
whatever it is, that you need as a veteran,
whether it is you're at the beginning
of the adjustment process
or maybe you've been at this for a little while
and you need to update some skills
or you're curious about what devices are available to you.
All of these things can be done
through these low vision services through the VA.
Geo, is there anything that we haven't touched on yet
that you were hoping we'd have the chance
to explore before we wrap up here?
I would just say
that I think whenever anybody goes through vision loss
it's a very difficult process.
And so the beginning steps of trying to receive training
is always the most intimidating
and difficult decisions to make.
And I think that's one of the things
that we hear from our veterans too.
They want to come in,
but they're not sure if they want to come in
because they probably
have been away from home for some time
and they don't want to travel by themselves
and things like that.
But I would say to any veterans,
if you have vision loss
and you are struggling to do activities of daily living,
come check us out.
I definitely think that we can do some productive things
to really be helpful for you
and we can spread the word so that more people
are aware of our services that we are able to offer.
Excellent.
Thank you so much for that
and for all the awesome information
that you've given us today.
Geo, thank you again, we really appreciate your stopping by.
And I've had a lot of fun and learned a lot.
Thank you very much, Ricky.
I appreciate the time, stay blessed.
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