Eye contact program
My name is Lili Goldwein; I am blind, assisted by a guide dog. In recent years I have been promoting several initiatives dealing with accessibility. In addition, I lecture before various forums such as nursing students, communal clinics, and hospitals. The emphasis during the lectures is on providing the different teams with tools to make treatment and service accessible to the blind.
A year ago, I was hospitalized after breaking my knee. During the hospitalization, I became aware that the treating team lacks the knowledge of how to make the treatment accessible for the blind and comprehend his needs due to his blindness.
This insight led me to the idea of establishing a supporting alignment that will be based on accompanying the blind during his hospitalization by a nursing student as part of his training period in the hospital.
This alignment is based on the following structure I am proposing and which I will coordinate during the first stage:
- The blind patient – will advise in advance of the intention to hospitalize him.
- Contact creation – I will advise the person in charge of accessibility at the hospital and the nursing students’ training coordinator.
- The person in charge of accessibility will be advised of the upcoming hospitalization and will receive an instructions page from me. She will forward it to the ward where the blind is intended to be hospitalized. She will advise/assist, as necessary.
- The elected student – will receive the instructions page and the patient’s details.
This model was recently successfully experienced at the Rambam Medical Center and received positive responses from all partners; the blind patient, the student, the ward team, and Margie Samuel – the in charge of the hospital accessibility. Additionally, Nava Zuarets, on behalf of the Haifa University Nursing Course of Studies, was a partner in the model experience – she is a coordinator in the clinical unit and responsible for students’ training