Story
Whilst all hospital stays are stressful and traumatic, those with sight disability are increasingly vulnerable when admitted to hospital as on top of the worry of being in ill health, they are out of their comfort zone and unfamiliar with their surroundings. After a personal experience, the aim of Bob's boxes to provide some easily accessible aids that will help them maintain the independence of the visually impaired at this traumatic time, for not only them, but their families. We have worked with Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to design boxes with vision aids which can be provided to patients with sight disability during their stay in hospital. This is a cause close to our hearts, as it is in memory of Robert (Bob) Brown who was completely blind. Prior to his death, he had a stay in hospital which was more traumatic due to his sight disability. Every day comforts, like knowing what time of day it was, or where to find his drink, or how to contact family should he need to, were taken away from him. This had a profound effect on his hospital stay, which was already fraught, given his ill health and being away from home and loved ones. This is a wide spread issue that is often overlooked in many care settings. We appreciate that these aids are a small part of the change that needs to happen, but hopefully they are a small step towards creating a safer environment and raising greater public awareness of the situation that are faced by many with this disability. We thank you for any amount you are able to donate and hope that together we can provide great comfort to the visually impaired at a time of need.