BIG yellow clock

[Moggie]

Just bought this for my mum (link below) and it works. Yah. She now has something that she can tell the time with and I think its the yellow face that makes all the difference. So thought I would pass on my excellent find to the lovely people on here - who have given me support and guidance throughout this difficult time - as I know not being able to tell what time of day it was was one of the things that upset my mum.

livingmadeeasy.org.uk/produ...

The postage is quite expensive (nearly £10), so all in all it cost £31.50 including postage, but you do get it delivered the next day.

I hope it works for others on here the way it has worked for my mum.

Moggie x

[marianS]

Hi Moggie,

Great clock - and in the Macular Society colours too! Certainly colour backgrounds can be critical in aiding distinction and this has proved true for your Mum and may be helpful for others too.

If you need any further help with "low vision aids", we can signpost you to local Sensory teams or resource centres. We also have a list of suppliers across the country who can deal in various large and small aids.

All the best to you and your Mum

Macular Society Helpline 0300 3030 111

Monday - Friday 09.00 - 17.00

[Moggie in reply to marianS]

Thanks for the reply. We had the sensory team out but all they could offer was "bumps". We did get in touch with a lovely charity called "support 4 sight" who visited my mum and let her try different aids, they were really good with her as she is also profoundly deaf as well which does not make communication easy.

She has an appt for the low vision clinic this month so, hopefully, they will be able to help as well.

Moggie x

[marianS in reply to Moggie]

Hi again

You've obviously had mixed experiences with different services, but hope your next appointment will come good. I have noted the Living Made Easy website as another helpful resource.

All the best,

Macular Society 0300 3030 111

Monday - Friday 09.00 - 17.00

[Moggie]

I have learnt that where you live makes a difference to what you are offered and, so far, I have had to fight long and hard to get my mum any help at all - from getting her CVI form to getting help with filling out her benefits form - but I got there in the end and am keeping my fingers crossed for a successful low vision clinic appt.

Thanks for your replies.

Moggie x

[Ayayay80]

Hi Moggie

I see you are still struggling along, not giving up on your mum and allowing yourself a well-deserved break. I knew somehow that you could never do that. Just to say that I hope, things are running reasonably smoothly for you and that you are both as well as possible under the circumstances. Sending you both my love. x

[Moggie in reply to Ayayay80]

Thanks for your kind words, it helps me to cope knowing that I have people to support me.

My mum has not been making life easy for herself since I was last on here. She had a trapped nerve in her arm so overdosed herself on co-codamol which in turn gave her extremely bad digestive problems and was in a lot of pain. She has now gone down with a water infection so all in all she is totally fed up with it all but the big yellow clock went some way in cheering her up as it was upsetting her not knowing what time of day it was and she is able to clearly see the time with this clock.

Because of her recent problems I had to cancel her low vision clinic appt but have made another one for the 24th of this month, we were both disappointed that it had to be cancelled but she really was not well enough to travel the hour or so to the hospital.

Thank you again for your kind words.

Moggie x

[carolineJames]

shop.rnib.org.uk

I bought a magnification with light which was recommended from another site. The light was in the magnifier and it stands in the ground with a bendy neck. It was from the RNIB. They have a huge shop in London near kings cross. If you are ever near there I recommend you visit because them you can try everything out. Anyway, if you can't visit then go on line and order. They deliver free and you can return anything for free if you don't like it. They have a huge range of items from talking clocks and magnifying glasses to computers .

I have attached a link. Click on it to take you to the site

[carolineJames]

shop.rnib.org.uk/magnificen...

The other link is to the general site at the RNIB for you to browse. To be honest it's not the best Webb site in the world as not everything is cross linked - so give yourself some time to scroll through it all. If you have the cash the TOPAZ reader was really good. I saw it and used it in the shop. You just slide your magazine/ letter under it and it appears on the screen in any magnification or colour combination of your choice. Easy to use for old brains and fingers too. Knobs to turn - no buttons.

Anyway, at the TOP is the link directly to the magnifier that I bought from the RNIB shop.click on the link to view. Free delivery. It was recommended from someone on another site. It's very helpful as the neck bends almost back on itself so it can be used at a table and also next to the sofa helping to sew or read.

[Moggie in reply to carolineJames]

Thanks for both links and your suggestions. I will definitely be talking to my mum about the light/magnifier as it looks like something she may be able to manage.

If I hadn't been sitting down I would have fell over at the price of the Topaz magnifier - over £2,000 is an awful lot of money to spend but if it works for my mum it could be a good buy.

Thank you again for all your useful information, I will definitely be speaking to my mum about them, the only trouble is my mum is totally deaf as well so communicating can be a struggle.

Moggie x

[carolineJames]

Yes Topaz is a huge amount of money ! But it worked and I liked it. But I didn't buy it. I don't need it yet. But I made a mental note for the future. And you really want the 15 inch size not smaller one I decided and you need the one with battery version as you can then move it to wherever you want to be in your home- no messing about with cables and plugs and extension leads and nonsense. So that's the TOP of the range! As a cheaper item for your mum the magnifier on the necklace is good. Another site says you can buy good ones on Amazon.co.uk too cheaper than the ones from the RNIB. Very helpful for when shopping and it hangs around the neck and makes a pretty necklace. Good luck!

[Moggie in reply to carolineJames]

Thanks for that - do you know if there is anywhere you can try the Topaz as I would like my mum to try it out before we bought it as it would save all the hassle of having to send it back, would I have to find a local rnib shop???

Thanks for all the information, it has been very helpful.

Moggie x

[carolineJames]

I understand!

I don't know where you can try it. I used it at the RNIB shop. They have everything out on display you can spend a whole day there! RNIB do have a few shops around the country. If you rang their shop at London shop at kings cross I am sure they could tell you if they have one near you.

In the meantime I found a utube link for the mgification light. It gives you a good idea what it's like. Lick the link- it is safe

m.youtube.com/watch?v=8BbKf...(Not working as expected?)

[carolineJames]

m.youtube.com/watch?v=8BbKf...(Not working as expected?)

[Moggie]

Cannot play the link for some strange reason - just tells me an error has occurred. I have found the Topaz a lot cheaper on this site

visionaid.co.uk/product/top...

So may phone them up tomorrow and have a chat to them. Whether my mum would be able to use it is anyone's guess.

Moggie x

[carolineJames]

Sorry Moggie, the utube link works- but it's been blocked on this site I think. Possibly a firewall. I just tried it elsewhere and it connects fine. Sorry !

[Moggie in reply to carolineJames]

No probs - will phone the shop like you said and see if there is somewhere local that she can try it out as I dont really want her to spend all that money and then it is no good for her.

Thanks for all your help and ideas, they have been very useful.

Will let you know how I got on.

Moggie x

[carolineJames]

If you buy from RNIB - ask for the vat exemption form. Then you don't have to pay vat if it's for someone whose visually impaired. But there's a form to complete. So that's worth it!! But you have to ask ....

[carolineJames]

Above message for Moggie

[Moggie in reply to carolineJames]

Think you can do that with anything you are buying for a partially sighted or deaf person no matter what site you buy it from as I have been doing it for my mum for years (her being deaf for over 30 years). I did it with the big yellow clock, just filled the form in myself and sent it back, but thanks for the tip off.

Moggie x

[Moggie in reply to carolineJames]

Have been doing a bit of digging around and have just spoken to a lovely chap at VisionAid regarding a very similar product to the Topaz. It is newer and cheaper and will be on sale in this country from next week on wards. The screen is a lot bigger (22 inch) and the picture on the screen is a lot clearer and cost £1,495 with no VAT. They will come to your home to do a free demo, not just on one device but on several, so you know which ever device you pick is the right one for you. All I have got to do now is get my mum back on her feet and I will be booking an appt as soon as possible.

I hope the info above is of some use to you.

Moggie x