Professional Advice: Prosthetist
Responses
were provided by Jason Dean, a certified prosthetist and practice
manager of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics in Lincoln, NE, and by
Carrie Davis, the Amputee Empowerment Partners (AEP) Coordinator and an
Upper Extremity Patient Advocate who was born with a congenital upper
limb difference herself - a special thanks to both of them from the
NCULD community! If you have an additional question that you'd like to
ask either Jason or Carrie, please submit the question(s) through our
online forum (members only) or through our Contact Us page.
Jason: My recommendation is to introduce prosthetic devices to children at an early age. By
introducing a prosthesis early, it may be more likely that they develop
skills to utilize it and incorporate it into their daily activities
such as assisting in sitting balance, holding a bottle, pushing to stand
up, etc.
Carrie: If you will allow me to stand on my soapbox, I will speak to my own opinions on this. I don't know that it is even considered advice, but rather my thoughts and opinions. I am grateful that my parents chose to fit me with a prosthesis when I was nine months old. I was able to grow up doing things bi-manually, and my prosthesis served as a great assistant for everyday tasks. There were times when I didn't want to wear it and I would take it off. There were things that I could do with a prosthesis that I could not do without, for example, holding the handlebars on my tricycle with two hands and keeping my body position in the correct alignment. I wore a cable operated hook until I was 17 years old, and then transitioned to a myo electric prosthesis. I have worn a prosthesis my whole life and have various terminal devices for different applications. I am able to do everything with or without a prosthesis, however everything is easier with a prosthesis. Had my parents chosen to wait until I was four or five and could make the choice myself as to whether or not I wanted a prosthesis, I would have by then, been able to do everything one-handed. I would not have chosen to put a prosthesis on, as the weight is very difficult to get used to. When you grow up with it, it is your norm. In my experience, early fitting was key to growing up using two hands for everything.
Carrie: If you will allow me to stand on my soapbox, I will speak to my own opinions on this. I don't know that it is even considered advice, but rather my thoughts and opinions. I am grateful that my parents chose to fit me with a prosthesis when I was nine months old. I was able to grow up doing things bi-manually, and my prosthesis served as a great assistant for everyday tasks. There were times when I didn't want to wear it and I would take it off. There were things that I could do with a prosthesis that I could not do without, for example, holding the handlebars on my tricycle with two hands and keeping my body position in the correct alignment. I wore a cable operated hook until I was 17 years old, and then transitioned to a myo electric prosthesis. I have worn a prosthesis my whole life and have various terminal devices for different applications. I am able to do everything with or without a prosthesis, however everything is easier with a prosthesis. Had my parents chosen to wait until I was four or five and could make the choice myself as to whether or not I wanted a prosthesis, I would have by then, been able to do everything one-handed. I would not have chosen to put a prosthesis on, as the weight is very difficult to get used to. When you grow up with it, it is your norm. In my experience, early fitting was key to growing up using two hands for everything.
Meer info op de uitgebreide website NCULD
(Nebraska Children with Upper Limb Deficiencies)
Ook te vinden op deze site: een overzicht van de verschillende levensfasen van de kinderen. Heel bijzonder! Zie: Life Stages.
Ook te vinden op deze site: een overzicht van de verschillende levensfasen van de kinderen. Heel bijzonder! Zie: Life Stages.
Afbeelding: NCULD
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten