Prosthetic technology has been advancing quickly, especially with respect to prosthetic legs.  New technology allows leg amputees to participate in many sports and activities that enhance quality of life.  The same may not be true of prosthetic arm technology.  While there are exciting efforts currently under development to create “bionic” arms, upper limb amputees still face many limitations in dealing with everyday life issues.  The resumption of athletic pursuits with a prosthetic arm may often seem unrealistic.  

Because the number of people with prosthetic arms is small, even relatively simple sports-related prosthetic arm modifications may not be available to the typical person.  But it may be that, with a limited amount of funding and access to basic engineering resources, some useful arm modifications could be developed to allow those with prosthetic arms to enjoy some of the activities that were important to them before their amputation, or to take on new activities to enhance their life.  For example, some engineering students at Duke University developed an arm modification that allowed a young man who lost an arm in Iraq to resume rock-climbing.

The Given Limb Foundation would like your ideas! Are there activities you would like to take on, if only your prosthetic arm had some modification to allow it?  Have you made modifications to your arm to allow you to participate in sports or other recreational activities?  Do you have information to share about how you or others you know have resumed athletic activities after an amputation?  

We have learned that the Challenged Athletes Foundation has grants available to those who need assistance with equipment, travel, etc., in order to resume athletic pursuits. We welcome other ideas for funding as well as ideas for prosthetic modifications.

The July issue of Gourmet Magazine had a great article by J.J. Goode about her trials and tribulations in her endeavors to cook meals—lovingly—everything from peeling potatoes to removing hot dishes from the oven to opening a bottom of wine, the articles gives a good inside view of the challenges of cooking with one arm—To view the article, click this link:

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/07/single-handed-cooking

We have had so many questions from people who need prosthetic limbs and have no way to pay for the,  We have been told that most health insurance will cover prosthetic limbs, but only basic limbs (i.e., not running legs, or prosthetics for special purposes.)  However, we have also been told that there are foundations and hospitals that will help.  One of our readers (Cody’s father) tells us that Shriners Hospitals will provide care to children, regardless of ability to pay, and that the Challenged Athletes Foundation has grants available to cover equipment and travel for those who wish to resume athletic activity.  We have also been told that the Amputee Coalition of America will help pay for prosthetic limbs for those in need.

As always, we welcome other suggestions and ideas, and would be pleased to pass them on to our readers!

When a loved one faces an amputation, whether as a result of a war injury, illness, or other accident, the entire family embarks on an emotional journey.  Everyone’s primary concern is the health and welfare of amputee, but family members and spouses often make huge emotional, financial, and personal sacrifices to care for and support their loved one during recovery, and sometimes for the rest of their lives.  Information and guidance about local support networks may be hard to find.  Injured service men and women, in particular, may face a letdown of sorts when they return home from Walter Reed, where they received the best of care and had a support network of peers facing the same issues.  Once home, while they may have a closer network of family members, they also face the demands of home life without the constant interaction with peers and professionals who understand their issues.  This can put even more pressure on family caregivers.

There are probably many people across the country who have had similar experiences and faced similar problems in caring for loved ones who have had amputations.  There is undoubtably much valuable advice that could be shared if there were an easy way for caregivers and family members to communicate.

This blog could serve as a tool to enable this type of communication.  What problems have you faced as a caregiver?  What resources have been particularly helpful?  Are there topics we could cover in this blog that would be helpful to you as a caregiver?