TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – As people get older, many would think it is time to slow down and take it easy. However, with the help of new technology, it’s a new way to learn something every day.
Eleanor Scott, 99, proves that it’s never too late to learn a new skill, even one that makes life a little easier. With old age, Scott is slowly losing her vision, making it difficult to do tasks like working in the kitchen.
Scott’s daughter, Suzanne Hadley, and her son-in-law, Richard Hadley, noticed it was getting harder for the 99-year-old to use her phone. With concerns for her mother’s safety, Hadley began looking into ways to help her mother.
Hadley heard of the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, a non-profit whose mission is to “Empower the Blind” featuring devices to help those who are visually impaired. East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind also offers trainings to those who are experiencing stages of vision loss, make adjustments to their normal routines.
A few of the devices the low vision store has to offer include talking weight scales, a wide range of magnifiers for reading, and audio book devices that
The way it works is if someone is believed to have a visual impairment, which means any stage of vision loss, they can be brought in for an assessment to identify what services they qualify for or what trainings they would benefit from.
After her assessment, East Texas Lighthouse identified that with her low vision, Scott would benefit from a new iPhone with the ‘Siri’ feature to help her communicate with her family members.
“They came in and we did an assessment, and I saw that she would be a great candidate for an iPhone and we did several training sessions with her,” Activity of Daily Life Instructor at the East Texas Lighthouse, Megan Brooks said.
Brooks also assisted Scott with her new iPhone and did plenty of trainings to get her up to speed with her tech skills.
Scott says communication is an important part of her life, especially since she lives alone which is what led her to the Lighthouse.
“When you cut off all communication, that’s difficult,” Scott said. “I need to do all I can do to put myself in a position to know kinda what’s going on.”
Scott expresses her gratitude towards the staff, wanting other to take advantage of their resources.
“I’m grateful for the Lighthouse and I tell people about this place,” Scott said.
Scott will be turning 100 in four months and plans to continue training with the East Texas Lighthouse to explore more features that her Siri has to offer.
