We began our quest to provide Virtual Adult Services in mid-March and have only grown in reach and power. It began as a hope to reach our clients without in-person visits/programming. It has blossomed into a way of providing more frequent and comprehensive services. We have met the challenge with a smile and a creative mind, allowing us to meet our client’s needs. The phrase, “Hey, what if we try this” has become a consistent and powerful part of our willingness to meet the ongoing needs of our clients. Some of the ways we are meeting our client’s needs is by:
- Tech Talk Tuesday – this is group that meets via Zoom on Tuesday afternoons at 3pm. It is led by Tracy Wicken. The group has speakers on tech-related merchandise, instruction on assistive technology, client-led discussions on their favorite technology, and much, much more!
- Coffee Chat on We Care Wednesday – this is a group that meets Wednesday mornings at 10am via Zoom. This group is facilitated by Amy Osvold. The focus is discussions on topics such as Resilience by our Psychology Intern, Sky Gabel, a Book Club by Emily Stenberg and Trampes Brown, a social time to discuss memories from NDAB Adult Camp, and client-led discussions on many, many topics!
- Support Group – Sky Gabel started an emotional support group that meets via Zoom on Monday mornings at 11. The focus of this group is to discuss emotional issues the members might be facing around their vision loss, personal issues, and the pandemic. This group is not meeting in December but will resume in January.
- Independence Thursday – this is the newest member of our Adult Programming at Home groups. It is facilitated by Amy Osvold. This is a group meets via Zoon at 2pm. It focuses on the Daily Living Skills needs of our clients. This group has only had one session thus far, with the topic of “Life Hacks”. This included tips on how to do things around your kitchen, eating skills, and their favorite independent living tools. Our other topics for the month of December are Knife Skills on December 10th and Cleaning Skills on December 17th. This group will be using the skills written in the book, “Recipes for Living with Vision Loss” by Pam Haus and Amy Osvold.
All of these groups are made possible by a partnership with the North Dakota Association of the Blind!
If you are interested in joining one or all these groups, you can contact Pam Haus in the east at 701-795-2719 or Amy Osvold in the west at 701-340-9226. —Amy Osvold