Creating a Better World for the Physically Impaired

 

Classes at the Nellie Sherk Amputee Activity Center are temporarily suspended untill our classrooms are relocated to a new faciltiy.

ADAPTING has opened its California office effective April 1,2007. If you live in southern California please call to help set up activities for the coming years.

 

Don't delay- call us today!

Scam artists target tax rebate checks Schemes involve phone, online solicitations from crooks posing as IRS, Social Security employees.

For more on this current story please click here!

 

A New Beginning By Miki Fairley "Amputation should not be looked at as a failure. It should be looked at as a reconstructive procedure that will provide the patient with a functional residual limb that can be fitted well with a prosthesis and improve the patient's quality of life. I get frustrated with the idea that amputation is just amputation—'cut off the leg and get on with it.'"—William J.J. Ertl, MD for more information or the read the whole article please click here!

The Prosthetist's Role in Early Patient Assessment By Judith Philipps Otto In the life of the patient, it's a terrifying seminal moment: amputation is imminent. They have a thousand questions and as many fears concerning their future. As their prosthetist, what should your role be? How deep should your involvement be and at how early a stage? For more information or to read the whole article please click here!

"African amputee cup to kick off Sierra Leonean amputees play football on the beach Enlarge Image Africa's first amputee football cup is kicking off in Sierra Leone on Friday, when the hosts meet Ghana. Each of the five teams will have six one-legged outfield players and a one-armed goalkeeper in the tournament, which is being sponsored by Fifa. Many of the players taking part lost limbs during long-running civil wars in their countries. Thousands of people had their arms or legs hacked off by rebels during Sierra Leone's conflict, which ended in 2002. The BBC's Piers Edwards in Freetown says amputees can often be seen playing football along the beach near the capital. Pride Sierra Leone coach Mose Mambu, whose brother lost a limb in the war, says he is confident his team will make the country proud.

I have confidence in my boys, although Nigeria has professional players Mose Mambu Sierra Leone team coach "Our two-legged people are failures long since, we want to bring football back to life through these amputees," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. Our correspondent says Sierra Leone has not been known for its footballing prowess and has only qualified for the African Nations Cup twice in its 50-year history. "I have confidence in my boys, although Nigeria has professional players... we have the technical capability and we are the hosts," Mr Mambu said. Thousands of people are expected at Freetown's National Stadium to watch the opening match, which was scheduled to be Sierra Leone versus Nigeria. But the Nigerian players are still on the road and are not expected to arrive in Freetown until 2200 local time. They have been driving all the way from Lagos and the trip will have taken them three days and three nights, our correspondent says. The other teams taking part in the All-African Amputee Football Championship are Angola and Liberia. Despite the end of Angola's long civil war, land-mines remain a serious problem there, with people going to their fields often losing limbs. The winner of the competition will qualify for the Amputee World Football Championship taking place in Turkey later this year. Sierra Leone came third in the 2005 World Cup."- BBC.com

 

ADAPTING is currently registering its organization in California as a nonprofit corporation. Upon completion of the proper registering and filing of documents peer support meetings, classes and other types of support activities will be announced.

 

Capt. David M. Rozelle, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, travels through Al-Faw Palace, April 1 at Camp Victory, Iraq. Rozelle returned to Iraq after losing his lower right foot during the first phase of Operation Iraq Freedom. He is the first amputee to return to a combat zone after suffering such an injury. Photo by Pfc. Matthew Clifton, USA .

 

For more information and the rest of the story please click here!

 

 

"Teaching Prosthetics in Iraq: Performing Under Fire..."

"As allied healthcare professionals practicing here in what is arguably the most civilized country in the world, we are inclined to complacency. The most intense pressures we face daily deal with cash flow issues, documentation dilemmas, insubordinate subordinates, malfunctioning equipment, or fussy patients.

To experience real on-the-job stress, however, try fitting prostheses in a war zone in an office that is shelled by the enemy on a fairly regular basis."

For more Information or to read the whole article please click here!

 

ACA Releases Amputee Research Results The Amputee Coalition of America

ACA) announced November 29 the results of a consumer survey completed by the Limb Loss Research & Statistics Program (LLR&SP), a collaboration of the ACA and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in its new publication, People With Amputation Speak Out With the Amputee Coalition of America. The purpose of the multi-year research project, funded by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was to determine how well people with limb loss were functioning in their everyday lives and what services they may need, but are not getting. Survey questions asked of the 954 amputee participants looked at the overall health and well-being of people with limb loss, the need for services such as medical care and rehabilitation, the use of, and satisfaction with, prosthetic devices and related services and environmental barriers and attitudes that impact overall well-being. The four main conclusions of this research are: The majority of community-dwelling amputees are living independently. Pain and depressed mood are the most common secondary conditions associated with limb loss. Among the sample of amputees surveyed, the majority reported wearing a prosthesis daily. A significant number of amputees reported barriers to accessing physical and emotional healthcare during the past year. The mission of the LLR&SP was to improve the understanding of limb loss, explore people's experiences living with limb loss, and design programs aimed at improving function and quality of lifeafter limb loss, explained Meredith P. Goins, ACA marketing/outreach coordinator. As a result of the findings in this study, researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Washington collaborated with the ACA to design the Promoting Amputee LifeSkills (PALS) self-management program, aimed at improving the quality of lifefor amputees.

For more information Click Here!

The following is an article from the World Institute on Disabilities: (Equity Home Page) Using Tax Policy to Promote Asset Building Strategies for People with Disabilities: A Case Study of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority Woullard Lett1 Michael Swack Introduction The majority of persons with disabilities are disproportionately poor and economically marginalized. For instance, people with disabilities represent the highest unemployment group, and poverty persists among the approximately 54 million people with disabilities in the United States today2 3 4. Among working-age adults with severe disabilities, 38.3% live in poverty with annual incomes under $15,0005 6. Even when employed, people with disabilities earn substantially less than non-disabled peers - roughly 72 cents for each dollar earned by non-disabled counterparts7. 39% of persons with disabilities indicated in a Harris Survey poll that the lack of financial resources is the most serious problem they face.

People with disabilities have long been deterred from accumulating personal savings and accepting financial contributions from others due to the fact that it may disqualify them from essential public benefits, such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Increasing efforts to provide asset development programs for low-income community members increase the possibility that persons with disabilities will be served. This may occur as a function of the circumstance that many people with disability share with the targeted population, i.e., low income. This study examines the role of state tax policy in support of asset building among persons with disabilities. We will examine the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority as a model state tax credit program that promotes asset building.

Assets as an alternative Inherent and fundamental to asset accumulation for people with disabilities is the understanding that social and economic independence equates with civil rights. Conversely, sustained poverty leads to social dependence, regardless of disability or not. However, a crucial correlate is: economic advancement in and of itself does not equate with the alleviation of disability. In fact, quite the opposite: economic advancement helps eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability (or any other characteristic that is based on social dependency). Thus, asset accumulation and the effects of economic independence lead to recognition of difference, not continued discrimination, and to social recognition and equal participation in society as contributing citizens9 10.

For persons with disabilities the choice is not either income generation or asset accumulation. Both are important parts of a strategy for economic independence. Supporting asset development through tax policy may contribute to economic independence and community inclusion goals of people with disabilities and the organizations that serve them. State tax policy can be a framework through which collaboration between organizations can be promoted and asset building for people with disabilities can be funded.

One model of state tax policy support of asset development that could serve people with disabilities is the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority. New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) is a quasi-public entity created in 1983 and governed by an eleven member board of directors. It currently operates four programs: Community Development Investment Program; Capacity Grants Program; Community Development Block Grant Program; and the Main Street Program. CDFA's oldest program and primary focus is the Community Development Investment Program (CDIP).

It is through CDIP that state tax policy channels private investment into community development efforts11. A small group of non-profit housing developers and community economic development organizations formed to meet the needs of low and moderate income communities. Recognition of the housing and economic development problems in the state brought together politicians, academics and community development practitioners to fashion a response. One of the first steps taken was a needs assessment that focused on the capacity of community development organizations and the types of projects undertaken, as well as the types of projects developed by local government jurisdictions. This was used to identify bi-partisan political sponsorship for the legislation that created the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA).

Finally, the need to create a structure that responded to the fiscally conservative and politically libertarian culture of the state was considered in the creation of the CDFA. The structure was designed to increase the flow of available equity into projects that created community and individual assets. The process maintained local ownership and control of resources while enhancing the ability of local communities to set their economic agenda. CDFA objectives The CDFA is a state chartered institution that uses tax credits to promote a variety of asset-building strategies by providing financial and technical support to community development projects through the Community Development Investment Program. In response to rising unemployment and inadequate housing, the New Hampshire state legislature authorized the CDFA to provide up to five million dollars annually in tax credits through the Community Development Investment Program for projects that promote community development and support asset building. Negotiating tax credit awards Once awarded tax credits, applicant organizations have the responsibility to identify donor businesses to "buy" or redeem the tax credits through donations of cash or property.

Many organizations awarded tax credits identify corporate donors through their own networks. Some organizations seek the assistance of CDFA staff in identifying appropriate donors. Once a match is made donor businesses provide the applicant organizations a pledge agreement. Donor businesses contribute cash or property in exchange for CDFA tax credits. They receive a state tax credit for 75% of the value of their donations. The tax credits can be applied against three state business taxes: business enterprise tax, state business profits tax and insurance premium taxes12. The donor's role is limited to making the donation and receiving the tax credit. They have no decision making, governance or oversight role in the process beyond the initial decision to make the donation. CDFA asset-based strategies CDFA projects provide housing and economic opportunities for low and moderate income citizens. Projects include housing development, business development and job creation projects. They typically contribute to the development or redevelopment and economic well being of targeted areas or constituencies. CDFA is a public policy response rooted in asset development. Asset development and ownership strategies such as affordable homeownership and IDAs provide tangible asset ownership options.

CDFA programs also provide community economic development organizations the institutional support required to create and sustain projects and programs that foster ownership and equity among economically marginalized communities. It does this by using state tax policy to provide community development initiatives with equity investment for projects. This strategy to promote asset accumulation is targeted specifically for low and moderate income communities. People with disabilities have not been targeted as a group. But CDFA board member K. Bogle-Shields13 and CDFA grantee J. Eades believe that persons with disabilities' low and moderate income economic status has resulted in their being included in programs offered by CDFA14.

Review of CDFA projects CDFA has funded several projects for organizations that serve or impact people with disabilities. Projects have included affordable housing, job creation and the asset building strategies like individual development accounts (IDA), affordable home ownership and transportation ownership. While many projects may impact people with disabilities as part of the low and moderate income constituency served by CDFA, there have also been projects that directly impact them. One of the few CDFA tax credit awards to an organization that serves people with disabilities was made to Riverbend Community Mental Health Inc.

This organization serves the mental health needs of consumers. CDFA board members were aware of the organization's mission, but did not consider it a factor in granting the tax credits. The type of project, transitional housing, and the income levels of potential beneficiaries were the main selling points of the project. According to C. Albano, CDFA acting executive director, "I don't think CDFA has ever put an application round out and said that … people with disabilities and organizations representing people with disabilities … get priority"15. However, Albano reports that CDFA has funded an innovative program named "Wheels to Work." This program increased access to transportation ownership for Medicaid clients and other low-income individuals16. Wheels to Work received a tax credit award that was used to create a partnership between a local community action program (CAP) agency and an automobile dealership.

The dealership received tax credit for used automobiles donated to the CAP agency. The agency in turn refurbished the automobiles and sold them to low income clients for a small fee. CDFA tax credit funding played a significant role in the creation of a statewide network of IDA programs. The CDFA tax credits served as the match required to access federal funds to support the program. In addition to serving the needs of low-income individuals in general, the IDA program partners include one program that targets persons with disabilities. "One of our community partners … specifically targets the disabled population" according to S. Drake, Director, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund Home-of-Your-Own & IDA Programs17. Other programs may include participants with disabilities though not exclusively. Drake stated that CDFA support of cooperative manufactured housing has contributed to the ability of a local agency to provide ownership opportunities to persons with disabilities through the Home-of-Your-Own program18.

Benefits for persons with disabilities from this particular program include the social empowerment and community integration that result from the cooperative ownership structure. CDFA tax credit support of housing options for low-income individuals provided the framework through which opportunities for persons with disabilities were created. CDFA provides tax credit support for non-profit housing developers throughout the state. This general support enables the statewide network of non-profit housing developers to provide affordable housing for low-income residents. It is likely that persons with disabilities have benefited from the increased availability of affordable housing. K. Bogle-Shields, CDFA board member, stated "I consider people with disabilities to be poor people. Not across the board, but there are a heck of a lot, generally, who are poor. So, if you are funding affordable housing or if you are funding IDAs, that would include persons with disabilities"19. At a minimum, housing developers comply with ADA accessibility requirements and some projects may include additional accessibility accommodations. CDFA and people with disabilities An increasing number of government and non-profit programs serving people with disabilities across New Hampshire have sought to provide participants with asset ownership in addition to employment. Awareness of the key role asset ownership may play in poverty reduction is increasing among organizations that serve people with disabilities. Examples of this include Common Ground, an organization that serves people with emotional, psychological or behavioral difficulties, pioneering the Home of Your Own program in New Hampshire to provide affordable homeownership.

Another is the Lakes Region Community Services Council, a human service agency that offers family centered supports and services to individuals with developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injury, and other disabling conditions; identifying business ownership opportunities for their consumers. These programs are representative of an approach that acknowledges the importance of asset development to people with disabilities. The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund received support from CDFA for "Home of Your Own," a program that provides homeownership opportunities for person with disabilities. CDFA has contributed to the statewide IDA network that includes an organization serving people with disabilities. Other people with disabilities may have qualified for CDFA-funded programs targeting low and moderate income communities based on their income. CDFA has strengthened community economic development organizations in New Hampshire by providing a supportive infrastructure that facilitates access to capital and collaborative partnerships.

These activities have contributed to the overall increase in number and capacity of community development organizations. Asset development among organizations that serve people with disabilities is an emerging practice. Widespread adoption of asset building as a strategy among organizations that serve people with disabilities may require similar support."

The renovations to the Nellie Sherk Amputee Activity center are almost complete. We have a new heating system, windows, exterior paint and much more thanks to a generous grant from Clackamas County.

 

Do You Use a Guardian Walker? Well we have something new for you. The new walker tray will enhance your life style and make you more independent than ever before. Check out this tray today!

Use it to transport food from the kitchen to your living room or perhaps your patio. It is clear so you can safely see where you are walking. Turn it over and use the other side for a writing surface or a card table You can safely place it in your car and transport it to a buffet or use it to shop with.

 

Become more independent now !

Call today and get your walker-tray.

 

 

Volunteers are needed for various positions at the Adapting and OASES organizations.

Please call ASAP. 503-330-0352

Please call for more information. 503-330-0352

"Kids in Crisis" is a program launched by Adapting to provide emergency assistance to the street children in Africa. Special focus is being placed on getting the kids off the street to provide shelter, food, and education to provide hope and vision for their future. Various elements of the program will be identified in detail on the Kids in Crisis website currently under construction.

At present, negotiations are underway with worldwide relief groups to incorporate certain elements of the Adapting street kids support group program for the maximum amount of effectiveness with the least cost.

Your support for this program will be welcome and necessary. This program is also aimed to eliminate potential problem areas in the continent of Africa-especially Cameroon.The eradication of the street kids problem, will help eliminate many potential threats as well as child trafficing for reasons of slavery and child prostitution as well as other crimes and abuses against children. Won't you help us eradicate these problems?

Activities for this program will be launched in the Spring of 2006. Fundraising efforts will be in place in November 2005.

Other News-worthy Items and Articles:

"Amputee Kids’ Camp Seeks Funds Every August for the past 25 years, a camp for children who are amputees, called Adventure Camp, has been held in Middleburg, Virginia. For many years, the camp has been funded by the Children's Medical Center, Charlottesville, but the center has notified the camp that they are not funding any outside groups this year, said Ed Hicks, CO, CPed, camp treasurer. The camp serves youngsters from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia. There are usually 25 campers and a staff of physical therapists, prosthetists, orthotists, nurses and other community volunteers, many of who are amputees themselves, said Hicks. The group is now trying to raise money for Camp 2006. "We are in the process of establishing Adventure Camp as a nonprofit organization and incorporation," Hicks said. "Any contributions given this year should count for nonprofit donations, or we can treat it as marketing." He continued, "The cost of camp for the four days we are there comes to around $200 per camper. We have tried to keep the cost to an absolute minimum for the campers and have only charged $5 per camper. Some of our families could pay more but many could not. If you could sponsor a camperor twoor make a contribution for any amount, it would be so helpful." Checks should be made out to Adventure Camp. For more information, phone 434.243.4670 or 434.263.5432 or e-mail Hicks: e-mail meh8f@virginia.edu To mail a donation, send to Ed Hicks, CO, CPed, Treasurer, Adventure Camp, PO Box 485, Lovingston, VA 22949. "- From O&P Newsletter

"First Park Solely for Disability Opens- International Paper, Paul Smith's College, and the State of New York will celebrate the grand opening of International Paper John Dillon Park, the first wilderness area designed exclusively for people with disabilities and their families, friends, and caregivers, International Paper announced. The brief opening ceremony on Tuesday, June 27, will be followed by an afternoon exploring the park's state-of-the-art adaptive features, which include specially designed lean-tos and trails and solar-powered battery carts to recharge wheelchairs. The 200-acre park, which is located on New York Route 30 near Long Lake, is within a 15,800-acre forest protected by a conservation easement donated by International Paper. Paul Smith's College faculty, staff, and students will manage the park. Among those present for the opening ceremony will be John T. Dillon, retired chairman and CEO, International Paper; John Mills, PhD, president, Paul Smith's College; Michael Deland, president, National Organization on Disability (NOD); Tim Barnett, vice president, Adirondack Conservancy; Don White, Dillon Park advisor and member of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Task Force on Accessibility; David Struhs, vice president, Environmental Affairs, International Paper; and Greg Wallace, supervisor, Town of Long Lake."- From O&P Newsletter

"Creative Solutions for Foot Complications By Gordon Zernich, CP, BOCP When the stakes are high and the odds are long, there are worse places to be than at the roulette table in Rick's Café Americain, Casablanca—after all, it is only money. However, when the stakes involve the healing of a foot condition that has recently gone from bad to worse, one will soon discover it takes more than conventional methods to attempt to save it. Roger Marzano, CPO, CPed, vice president of clinical services at Yanke Bionics, Akron, Ohio, shares his clinical experience and technical expertise concerning the application of orthotic devices that can arrest, accommodate, and better the odds of restoring non-traumatic, yet severe foot complications often due to diabetes. The objectives are the same—reduce peak foot pressures—but the stakes increase in magnitude as complications increase. The last, best chance of fitting a patient with what most would say still resembles something familiar-looking involves adding additional orthotic modifications to custom-molded shoes to enhance and accommodate the foot's now limited function. "For example," Marzano says, "you have a 350-lb. active, hardworking man, and his tarsal-metatarsal joints are breaking down and his foot is going into an early Charcot condition. A carbon-fiber insert placed under his orthotics will not prevent his shoe from bending, aggravating the problem. It can take up scarce room in there too. So we will insert and rivet a 1-in.-wide steel shank between the inner and outer shoe sole." He continues, "What makes it effective is the rocker modification added to the bottom of the shoe, but it is not a perfect solution: besides adding weight to the shoe, some heel slippage will result." CAM Walker There are times when the answers are temporary and involve non-weight bearing on the affected side; the now more vulnerable wearer will be protected by an exoskeletal appliance against everyday obstacles. In those instances, Marzano will sometimes use a technique he picked up from a Chicago, Illinois, researcher who uses a roll of fiberglass casting bandage to keep a CAM walker on his patient's lower leg. "The only difference between the total contact cast and a regular CAM walker is that the patient can remove the walker," Marzano says. "If we put them in it and use a fiberglass bandage to keep it on, they can't take it off. "It is a great casting environment," he continues. "It is much less expensive than the cost of a total contact cast, and it is much less labor-intensive. The orthopedist will love you! This is going to be the wave of the future—physicians aren't well reimbursed for [total contact casts]." Yanke Bionics is using the CAM casting technique for diabetic patients with severe complications such as foot ulcers, failed skin grafts, and Charcot foot injuries. Skin Grafts: Low Success Rate Plastic surgeons are getting involved in wound care centers at an increasing rate, but unfortunately the failure rate on skin grafts on the plantar surface of the foot is 35 percent, because skin is taken from another area of that body that is unlike the skin on the bottom of the foot. Often the healing of the skin graft adheres to the bony structures and the tendons underneath. That makes it very difficult to reduce shear. It is likely the grafted area will tear without that tissue mobility. A pneumatic boot and fiberglass casting tape is sometimes used, since the compression of the boot's air bladder helps the healing process by reducing edema and lessening the already slight shocks in the casted environment. If necessary, the inner sole of the boot can be modified with an aperture relief underneath ulcerated areas and then recovered with the inner sole of the diabetic shoe insert to relieve the area of pressure. Cautions with CAM Walker "I put a heel lift in the patient's opposite shoe every time I fit a CAM walker," says Marzano. "I've seen patients come in with herniated spinal disks from wearing a boot for the 12 weeks of their Charcot episode. As soon as they got out of the boot, a diskectomy had to be done. Be very aware when fitting these boots: we should automatically build up the diabetic insert on the other side to protect the patient's back." Gordon Zernich, CP, is employed at the Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Miami, Florida." From O&P Newsletter

Again, your support will be appreciated.

Call for more information 503-330-0352 don't delay!

FREE transportation in and around Clackamas County to and from the Adapting activities is provided by a Clackamas County volunteer group.

Information on this activity may be obtained by calling

503-655-8856. See below for more information.

 

Remember, FREE transportation may be available through a county volunteer transportation system.

Please be sure to check this out well in advance by calling

503-655-8856

Services are available Monday through Friday,

8:30 AM to 5 PM

(Clackamas County Residents only)

 

 

Call Today for more Information, to Volunteer or to Donate.

503-330-0352

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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