Allotments 4 All

I felt so sad today.

One of our tenants, a lovely man, is going blind.  Until he retired, about a year ago, he hadn't had a day's illness in his life.  A few months ago he was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration and has already lost the sight in one eye and is rapidly losing it in the other. 

He loves coming to the allotments so much and he got upset when he was talking to me today.  He thinks that I want him to give up his plot but if there was any way I could make things easier for him, I would do it.  I told him there was no pressure for him to give it up.

I have looked at Thrive's website and it is very helpful with lots of ideas but I wondered if anyone here has experience of helping blind gardeners to continue on their plot. 

oh that is very sad,i feel for this poor man. even if he did decide to give up his plot he could always still visit and be a part of the community. im sure you will do your best to find a way of helping him betty!
sorry,not got any practical advice but i bet someone will be along soon who has
R x

Yes that is sad, my mum has it too. It's a lot to ask someone to come to terms with when they want to enjoy their well-earned retirement.

Where there's a will there's a way - people are very stubborn and so I'm sure there will be some blind gardeners who can suggest ways to get round the problems. I know my mum still gardens, but it doesnt seem bad enough to stop her doing that yet, it's just reading which is hard.

I hope you get some useful tips soon.

Thanks Elvis and PS.
I would really like him to keep part of his plot if it could be adapted for him.  Luckily he lives within walking distance of the allotments and I'm sure his wife would walk there with him. If he can't manage or doesn't want his plot then he will be more than welcome to come down, but it might be too upsetting for him.  We will have to wait and see I suppose.

I remember you telling me about this chap before Betty.Is his wife able to help him?

Quote from: shirlton on September 09, 2010, 08:31:52
I remember you telling me about this chap before Betty.Is his wife able to help him?

Yes Shirl, his wife has been down to help but I think she is still at work so she might not have as much time as he has.

My FiL was diagnosed with this about 20 years ago when he was coming up to 80. The onset of blindness in his case has been much slower though, which has, to a certain extent, allowed him to come to terms with it. He gave up driving and golf when he was 90. Now 99 he is functionally blind and only sees shadows. Surprisingly he still recognises me!!

For a long time he continued to have remarkably good peripheral vision with good awareness of colours too and this seems to be a feature of macular degeneration. So he would look at things "out the corner of his eye" and have a pretty good idea of what they were. Not much good for golf or driving but it did allow him to continue doing woodwork into his nineties until, quite frankly, he became a danger to himself (working with power tools) and we had to persuade him to stop.

I believe there is research ongoing on surgery to replace the damaged macula but I don't think it's anywhere near ready yet.

Hi Betty, Is there an inexperienced person on the Waiting List who would welcome the opportunity of being Mentored by someone with his experience so would offer their labour in exchange for produce etc - if it could be set up could be a 'win win' situation. 

I was going to say the same thing - could he share the plot with someone else? He could do manageable things like potting, planting, etc (using guidelines to plant for example) harvesting, watering  and the other person could do the other jobs that are hard to do.
I am sure that there are ways to set gardens out so that a visually impaired person could manage it - ropes or barriers between sections, poles indicating starts and ends of rows, growing in pots with distinctive markers etc. I am sure he would still, by feel, and smell, be able to grow herbs or flowers, for example.  With a helper beside him, I am sure he would learn lots of new ways to keep gardening.
It's kind of you to help him, as his ailment is particularly distressing and requires a lot of courage. I wish him well.

Betty, some time ago you were on about having quarter plots. Could this man have one of those. With the help of his wife he could probably manage one. Why not split his plot and give the other hallf to someone else. I'm sure you will come up with a good decision for all.

there was a piece on the tv possibly GW about an amazing blind gardener who found his way around his plot with ropes etc. Possibly not this chap

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3350020/Blind-gardener-impresses-judges-with-his-plants.html

but that was the idea

Margaret's sight was bad, she was registered blind and had talking books etc. but she certainly knew her plants on the allotment.  She did need a little help and preferred it when I was there on the next allotment in case she fell over, as she also walked with a stick.  She taught me a lot, and I found her keys and secateurs that she had dropped but no luck with the hair grip, it would have been quicker to run to the shops and buy a new packet.  She has given up the allotment now and it has been split into three but two are not being cultivated.  I do miss seeing her up there and our chats.  She did remarkably well with very limited sight for a long time, but in the end it became a worry for her so she gave it up.  Also my friend had a catarat operation that went wrong, but we go for walks, have to watch her on steep slopes or when the sun is too bright, and she has gone back to playing 'one-eyed tennis'.  I said we should all cover one eye to play to make it fairer but she is quite determined to carry on.  With a bit of help and support I say carry on, until it no longer is a pleasure.

Betty,
I think Susiebelle's idea is really good.  it may take a little while until he makes the journey from accepting that he can't go on as he has been doing . . . to realising just how valuable  a help he can be in teaching someone else, and passing on his wealth of experience.  If he can then get back his joy and anticipation of 'going down to the lottie' again, he will find a reason to keep on going. 
Keep gently encouraging him!

Betty, i know that he is lucky to have someone like you on the allotment that is so supportive and is willing to help. he will appreciate all that you can do for him in this very tough time.

Many people have came up with some interesting suggestions and i am sure that if you discuss with him ways of helping him to keep his allotment going for as long as posible, he will not be so insecure. My heart goes out to him and his family

I was pleased to have met him on your open day.  He is extremelt knowledgeable and very willing to share that knowledge.

I am sure that there are ways to continue gardening with smell and sound helping people to keep track of where things are. 

Have you come across the Blind Gardeners Club

http://www.thrive.org.uk/national-blind-gardeners-club.aspx

This page seems to be interesting as well.

http://www.carryongardening.org.uk/gardening-for-blind-and-partially-sighted-people.aspx

Thanks everyone for your replies.

It is so good to have somewhere to talk over these sort of problems, and to find such understanding people who will take time to share their thoughts, so thank you all very much.  :)

I really like the idea of mentoring and this is definitely something I will be looking into.  He has already told me that he won't be able to cope with his full-size plot so splitting it is an option.  I will need to think hard about who, on the waiting-list, will be suitable to put next to him, this isn't going to be easy.
Then his plot will need to be adapted.  Thank you for suggesting the Thrive website, I have looked at it and there is lots of help available there.

There is plenty to think about, I'm sure that we can come up with a solution that will help him to carry on gardening, it means such a lot to him.

I am sure he loves his veggies but I am wondering if he could use some of his plot for herbs and flowers that have a good scent or those that have a nice feel to them, he could continue to sense things growing especially some of the perennial things, feelling a rosebud turn into a fully opened rose and being able to smell it is something we might not appreciate but he will.Just a thought,

XX Jeannine

Might be of use for someone close to him to read this article to him, sometimes there is a little hope for folks with "wet" macular degeneration, if he has that type.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/amd.shtml

Quote from: jennym on September 12, 2010, 00:04:18
Might be of use for someone close to him to read this article to him, sometimes there is a little hope for folks with "wet" macular degeneration, if he has that type.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/amd.shtml

Thank you jennym.  That site is very interesting, I'll forward it to his wife.