Finding Your Caregiving Superpower: Reflections from a Blind Caregiver of a Parent with Dementia

By Catherine Samuel

This article was originally published in the April 2026 issue of the Braille Monitor, a publication of the National Federation of the Blind. It is republished here with permission of the author.

Read the original article here:
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm26/bm2604/bm260409.htm

Braille Monitor April 2026

Finding Your Caregiving Superpower: Reflections from a Blind Caregiver of a Parent with Dementia
by Catherine Samuel

From the Editor: Catherine Samuel serves as the Director of Disability Resources at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while also working part-time as a consultant for a data management company. For fun, she plays the trumpet with two community musical ensembles; enjoys hiking, tandem biking, kayaking, and cooking; and is studying Hindi. Yet somehow she still found the time to write this helpful article about her experience as a blind caregiver. Here is what she shares:

Beginning the Caregiving Journey

My mom’s cognitive and physical health has been declining for some years now, and she was recently diagnosed with dementia. My brother and I are both in our forties and have very full and busy lives. He is sighted and lives in Virginia, about fifteen minutes away from my mom’s assisted living facility. I have been totally blind since birth and live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

As her condition deteriorated, I began thinking seriously about what role I could play in caring for my mom. When I was much younger and she was caring for her aging parents, she was constantly dropping everything in order to drive six hours each way to their assisted living home to see to their affairs in person. Consequently, the model of caregiving that I was accustomed to was one that required a very frequent in person presence, and so at first I feared that I wouldn’t be able to be of much help, given that I live about three hundred miles away and cannot jump in the car to head to Virginia on short notice. I also worried that on the financial side, there would be loads of physical paperwork to sort through, a daunting prospect even with great tools like Be My Eyes, Seeing AI, AIRA, and others. But I did not want to leave my brother “holding the caregiving bag,” so to speak, nor did I want to perpetuate the stereotype that blind people can only be the recipients of care, not the givers of care.

Division of Labor

My brother is able to transport Mom to medical appointments and has been able to come to the hospital to support her during the few times she has been hospitalized in the last year. That’s not something I could do, blind or sighted, because of how far away I live. But it turns out that financial caregiving is almost as easy to do from a distance as it is in person. With everything being online now, I have not had to sort through mountains of physical paperwork to find records, review statements, and the like.

All her bills are set up on auto-pay, and thanks to the POA, I have gained access to her accounts. I have set up alerts so that I am immediately notified of any transactions. This has proven to be important in preventing fraudulent activity as her judgment has declined.

Other Caregiving Opportunities

While I have found the financial caregiving side to be where I can contribute most, caregiving looks different for everyone. Blind caregivers can support loved ones in many ways, including coordinating care, advocating during medical visits, organizing medications, and handling daily logistics through accessible tools and services.

It Takes a Village

Caregiving is not something anyone has to do alone. Support from family, friends, and community members plays an important role. Asking for help when needed allows caregivers to focus on where they can contribute most effectively.

Tips for Financial Caregiving as a Blind Person

• Discuss caregiving roles early while your loved one can still make decisions
• Organize and digitize important documents
• Secure Power of Attorney documentation in advance
• Use accessible tools and systems to manage finances
• Maintain communication with other caregivers
• Be clear about roles and responsibilities

Conclusion

Caregiving often involves a role reversal that many do not anticipate. For blind individuals, societal expectations may create doubt but that does not reflect reality.

Blind caregivers can and do play meaningful, capable, and essential roles in supporting loved ones. With the right tools, planning, and collaboration, caregiving is not only possible it can be deeply impactful.