Adult Services

Our Adult services support adults with vision impairments to live more independently, come to terms with their sight loss, and socialise with others to meet like-minded people and share experiences.

Our adult services include our Patient Support Service, Enablement, Digital Enablement and Counselling.

Chris showing service user Pauline how to use a her phone in an accessible way

Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO)

We offer a Patient Support Service which supports adults with sight loss directly from the eye hospital. It is based at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital Monday-Friday.

Our compassionate ECLO team at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital is dedicated to offering both practical and emotional assistance to individuals experiencing sight loss.

Remember, you’re not alone in your journey towards better vision health. Our ECLO team is here to provide the support and information you need to enhance your quality of life. Feel free to reach out to us anytime you require assistance or a caring presence during your sight loss journey.

Our comprehensive range of services includes

Chris, one of our enablement team and a female service user testing out a digital magnifier during their enablement session

Enablement Service

Our Enablement Service supports adults with sight loss to access services and live more independently in their local area. We have Enablement Officers covering Salford, Trafford, Manchester, Oldham and Bolton, so they can provide support and give you information about the services that are local to you.

Personal Plan for you

Once you are referred to our Enablement Service, the Enablement Officer for your area will create a personal plan with you – this can either take place face-to-face, or over the phone. The personal plan will help identify the support you need. Following the personal plan, the Enablement Officer will recommend appropriate support. This could include the following:

Image shows a member of the Digital Enablement Team sat at a desk with several laptops on.

Digital Enablement

Our Digital Enablement service helps our service users to find the digital technology solutions that are best for them, to help them to live more independently and use technology to their full advantage. We cover both mainstream and specialist technology, including smartphones, electronic magnifiers, and OCR (optical character recognition) readers for scanning printed documents and having them read aloud.

Once you are referred to the service, a member of the team will carry out an assessment to determine the best solutions for you, and may be able to offer training following your assessment.

We also offer monthly Tech Talk groups in Bolton, Oldham and Trafford, so you can learn about, and try out, the latest technology, and come together to share tips and ideas.

Henshaws service user and volunteering laughing whilst chatting in our Bolton community hub.

Counselling

Our counselling service can help you come to terms with any emotions and feelings you are experiencing as a result of your sight loss. Once you are referred for counselling, you will be put on a waiting list, and then our counsellor will contact you to arrange your sessions.

You will be offered six weekly hour-long sessions, and these can either take place face-to-face, or by phone.

FAQ’s about counselling

Our counselling sessions are a safe and confidential space for you to be honest about how you are feeling, as we understand that coming to terms with a sight loss diagnosis can be overwhelming, and can present many emotions including denial, grief and anger.

Henshaws graphic with pink and purple shapes

Learn how to get involved

From fundraising events to volunteering, there are plenty of ways to give to make a difference at Henshaws

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