Local Sight Loss Support Group Holds Meeting
Group telephone call organised for Hammersmith & Fulham by the Macular Society
Telephone session open to anyone affected by macular disease
A central London-based support group for people with sight loss held a group telephone call on Friday, February 26.
The group call was organised by leading sight loss charity the Macular Society, in partnership with members and volunteers of the Hammersmith & Fulham Macular Society Support Group.
The session is open to anyone with macular disease, their families or friends, and further calls will take place on the fourth Friday of each month at 10:30 am, until face-to-face group meetings can be safely resumed.
The Society funds research to beat macular disease, the biggest cause of sight loss in the U.K., which affects around 1.5 million people and for which there is currently no cure. The charity suspended all its face-to-face support services when the coronavirus first struck last year, replacing them with a new range of telephone and online support services.
Dianne Nicola, Macular Society regional manager, said, “Although the pandemic continues to impose necessary social restrictions, people’s health and wellbeing must always come first. However, it’s absolutely vital that everyone who needs our support continues to receive it. Although our face-to-face services have had to be suspended for the time being, we are still on the end of the phone and would strongly urge anyone to call us if they do need our assistance.
“The telephone groups offer help in understanding macular disease and coming to terms with sight loss; exactly the way that our face-to-face support groups do. They also help us to ensure that everyone is kept up to date with all the current news and information. But most importantly, they allow people with macular disease to continue to take part in social activities, helping to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation during these difficult times.”
Macular disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement. There is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 600,000 people, usually over the age of 50.
If you would like to call in to the group, or for more information about additional support services available locally, contact Dianne on 07824 330 951, or email dianne.nicola@macularsociety.org
For information on other services currently available from the Macular Society, you can call the charity’s Advice and Information Service on 0300 3030 111 or email help@macularsociety.org
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March 1, 2021