A Blossoming of Self-Esteem

Photograph by Larry Barns

Getting old is never easy, but it’s especially hard for blind people. Moving to a nursing home can mean a complete loss of independence for someone who can’t see.

Since 1914 the Guild Home for Aged Blind has helped people with limited eyesight — most of whom are 65 and older — remain as independent as possible. The home has numerous features to help residents manage on their own, such as guide rails throughout the facility and its extensive park area. (The home, part of the Jewish Guild for the Blind, sits on the Guild’s 11-acre campus in Yonkers, N.Y.) The home offers housing for 219 blind or near-blind people. Its $17-million annual budget is largely financed by Medicare and Medicaid payments.

To keep residents active and engaged, the home offers a host of activities, including concerts, parties, and classes on ceramics, sewing, cooking, and many other hobbies.

A class on horticulture draws a small but dedicated band of people. Every Friday morning, about 10 women, most between 75 and 85, gather in a room with plants lining the counter along a wall of windows. They plant seedlings — African violets are a favorite — and care for indoor plants.

Because their sight is limited, the gardeners tickle their other senses, planting strongly scented herbs such as basil and mint and flowers such as jasmine and lavender, and enjoying the smell and feel of the soil.

Class members like to joke together and take a lot of pride in their work, which helps them build not only independence but also self-esteem, says Vivian Dillon, the home’s director of therapeutic recreation. “It’s so much more than just potting a plant,” she says. They sell the plants for up to $10 at a fair sponsored by the home every few months, which brings in enough money for the gardeners to hold pizza parties. Here, a resident repots a geranium.