[Internet search for counseling offers for older adults suffering from visual impairment].
BACKGROUND
Visual impairment is a relevant problem of aging. In many cases promising therapeutic options exist but patients are often left with visual deficits, which require a high degree of individualized counseling. This article analyzed which counseling offers can be found by patients and relatives using simple and routine searching via the internet.


METHODS
Analyses were performed using colloquial search terms in the search engine Google in order to find counseling options for elderly people with visual impairments available via the internet.


RESULTS
With this strategy 189 offers for counseling were found, which showed very heterogeneous regional differences in distribution. The counseling options found in the internet commonly address topics such as therapeutic interventions or topics on visual aids corresponding to the professions offering rehabilitation most present in the internet, such as ophthalmologists and opticians. Regarding contents addressing psychosocial and help in daily tasks, self-help and support groups offer the most differentiated and broadest spectrum. Support offers for daily living tasks and psychosocial counseling from social providers were more difficult to find with these search terms despite a high presence in the internet.


CONCLUSIONS
There are a large number of providers of counseling and consulting for older persons with visual impairment. In order to be found more easily by patients and to be recommended more often by ophthalmologists and general practitioners, the presence of providers in the internet must be improved, especially providers of daily living and psychosocial support offers.
Institut für Angewandte Forschung, Entwicklung und Weiterbildung (IAF), Katholische Hochschule Freiburg, Karlstr. 63, 79104, Freiburg, Deutschland. ines.himmelsbach@kh-freiburg.de.
I
I
Himmelsbach
Bayer Vital GmbH, Gebäude K56-3C412, 51366, Leverkusen, Deutschland.
J
J
Lipinski
Institut für Angewandte Forschung, Entwicklung und Weiterbildung (IAF), Katholische Hochschule Freiburg, Karlstr. 63, 79104, Freiburg, Deutschland.
M
M
Putzke
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D057386:Search Engine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*
Counseling; Low vision; Macular degeneration; Rehabilitation; Visual impairment in old age