As our community changes with a new generation and new residents, we must also change to accommodate their needs.  Once upon a time, clients were mostly born in Nevada County.  We then got the Greatest Generation, followed by an infux of new people who moved here to retire.  Now we are becoming a ‘bedroom and home office’ community.  Each generation has different needs and desires, and we have to change with it.

One thing we noticed is that more of our clients are living with or being cared for by family members.  Many have other health issues besides loss of vision.  This means that what the client needs to learn is less personal independence related to cooking and maintaining a home, and more to individual issues.  Groups are still a chance for clients to meet others who have the same problems, and learning from peers is easier because they speak from experience.  At the same time, we are forming a new peer group for the families and caregivers as they too must adjust to the loss of their loved one’s vision.  The Intake process for us used to take fifteen to twenty minutes, now we meet more with family members present and it takes one to two hours and is the first round of counseling for both the client and the family member.  An example is when they learn about phantom vision and realize they are not losing their minds.  Often there is a great show of relief when they have been hiding it from each other and learn it is not dementia.  The family can now discuss it openly.  If you are a caregiver to one of our clients, and you would like to meet with others to discuss your frustration and learn new ways to deal with your loved one, call Sarah at the office, 530-265-2121.  Most of us have been there too.

We are also forming a “Friends of Sierra Services”.  It is a group of clients and volunteers formed to help the staff with events, fundraising and simple tasks that take staff away from client services.  They are also a source of ideas and advice for the staff as we adjust to the changes in the community.  Cooking dinner for 90 to 100 takes a lot of doing.  With their help this year’s holiday dinner for the clients was the first time we had the help we needed.  With a staff of two full and two part-time people we are providing counseling, medical transportation and services to almost 200 people and running a non-profit agency.  It is no wonder our volunteer drivers and staff drove clients 18,467 miles last year for medical transportation.

Written by Richard Crandall, February 2026, Quarterly Newsletter