Assertiveness, depression, and social support in older visually impaired adults

Severe visual impairment occurs in more than 10 percent of Americans aged 65 and over (Ludwig & Schneider, 1991). According to Nelson and Dimitrova (1993), 68 percent of all visually impaired individuals are over 65, with rates increasing dramatically (210.6 per 1,000) for those aged 85 and over. As Crews (1988, p. 399) noted, "although considerable attention has been given to issues affecting the elderly, relatively little concern has focused upon public policy and aging disability, and virtually nothing has been done to address the needs of the older blind." Unfortunately in 1995, the plight of blind and visually impaired older adults has remained static, and Crews's original assertion is still valid.