News

Guide Dogs make an impact in Mount Isa

September 22, 2023

Guide Dogs Principal Advisor, Access and Engagement, Jeremy Hill, is pictured seated around an outdoor table and chairs with members of the Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health.

One of the privileges of being a peak body for low vision and blindness, is the opportunity to travel to all corners of our beautiful state to meet and work with a wide variety of amazing individuals.

This month, Guide Dogs Principal Advisor, Access and Engagement, Jeremy Hill, had the opportunity to facilitate a workshop with Allied Health staff from several organisations in Mount Isa to discuss the main causes of low vision and blindness and the functional effects of each.

“The Mount Isa community has a significant number of patients with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and so the Allied Health Team from the Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health (MCRRH) reached out to Guide Dogs to gain a better understanding of the various eye conditions and understand how Guide Dogs can assist with such cases,” Jeremy said.

“What a joy it was to talk with several of the Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy students and an Exercise Physiologist from MCRRH, Mount Isa Hospital, North West Remote Health and Gidgee Healing. They were such an enthusiastic group of health professionals dedicated to serving their remote community,” he said.

Jeremy managed to cover a lot of ground during the three-hour workshop, including:

how to best assist patients with various eye conditions both in the hospital and out in the community;
low vision in paediatrics and children’s services;
cortical vision impairment; and
stroke related vision loss.

The MCRRH Clinical Lead for Occupational Therapy, Kylie Bower, said the workshop was a fantastic skill-sharing and collaborative opportunity.

“We were delighted with how practical the workshop was and that Jeremy was able to adjust the content to meet our specific learning needs,” Kylie said.

“We are so grateful for Guide Dogs’ commitment to providing therapist support in our remote location, and look forward to ongoing connections that we believe will bring real health benefits for our participants,” she said.

This project has been undertaken as part of our work as the Queensland State Government’s Peak Body for Vision Impairment.

For information and referrals regarding low vision and blindness, contact our friendly team on 3500 9060 or enquire here.

Guide Dogs Principal Advisor, Access and Engagement, Jeremy Hill, is pictured helping a participant from the Mount Isa workshop conduct a blindfolded exercise. The woman is seated at a table and is pouring a glass of water while wearing a blindfold.