Yes, even if we just do the cut-off date at working age versus retirement age, let's say over 65 or 70. For someone with vision loss prior to that, it's about returning to work and retraining. It's about communication skills, in the context of learning Braille, learning adaptive equipment, computer equipment--voice-activated computers and that kind of stuff. Those are the requirements for someone younger.
I'm happy to report that Veterans Affairs Canada is in the process, and it's my understanding they have approved, in a proactive manner.... If someone returns now from Afghanistan with--God forbid--vision loss, we have determined what would be a reasonable rehabilitation...I'm hesitant to say “package”, because it sounds so cold, but a process that would help us, CNIB, and Veterans Affairs enable a person to go back to work.
For someone over 65, clearly the requirements are different. There are social requirements and independence requirements, such as being able to stay at home and cut the grass when you don't see very well. And maybe we'd love to not be able to shovel the sidewalk, given the snow we've had in Ottawa lately, but those are the home care things. It's also about being able to manage your medication, being able to see it, and being able to manage your correspondence and finances--being able to do it yourself as much as possible, rather than have someone else do it for you.
The real challenge for someone over 65 is maintaining their independence, their integrity, and their dignity, rather than, “We'll do everything for grandma or grandpa”. Of course, the last thing grandma or grandpa wants is to have somebody do it for them.