DECEMBER NEWSLETTER Patients In The News On Tuesday November 28 at the Annual Awards Dinner for Just One Break, Danny Stein (bilateral BK) a member of Team A Step Ahead and a top golfer on his high school golf team, was honored along with 2 members of the armed services. The Annual Dinner is a tribute to members of the armed services who sustained injuries while serving our country, people with disabilities whose outlook empowers others, and a premier company that hires and tirelessly advocates on behalf of people with disabilities. The event was held at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.
Shining Star Awards were handed out to Danny Stein, Sgt. First Class Michael McNaughton (ret.) Operations Specialist, Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, Captain Dennis (D.J.) Skelton, Jr. Military Advisor, Office of Secretary of Defense The corporate award was given to Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.
Just One Break http://www.justonebreak.com/ is a not-for-profit organization that provides a no-fee employment placement service for people with disabilities. Founded in 1947 by Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Howard Rusk, Bernard Baruch, and Orin Lehman as a response to the post-war environment after WW II and the employment needs of disabled American war veterans. JOB’s mission is to find competitive employment for qualified people with disabilities through partnerships with companies in all industries.
Congratulations to Danny on this award and his achievements so far this year in golf!! ASPIRE Amputee Support Group
"ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY" Date: Wednesday December 13, 2006
Time: 6:15pm
Place: CONFERENCE CENTER; 2nd Floor - Room "A"
Hospital for Special Surgery 212-606-1000
535 East 70th Street (Between York Ave & FDR}
New York, NY 10021
Please RSVP - I have to know if you plan to attend in order to gauge how much food & drink we will need. Please call or email Charlie Steele at 212-877-7050 CharlieATL@AOL.com]
Mark your calendar for the amputee support group meeting schedule for the next year : Last Wednesday of the Month: JAN 31, FEB 28, MAR 28,APR 25.MAY 30.JUNE 27...JULY 25 (No Aug.) SEPT 26,.OCT 31(No Nov.)
Team A Step Ahead Amy Winters, Kelly Bruno and Michael Foresto will be attending a Paralympic Cycling Training camp from December 1-6. The top Paralympic cyclists will be attending this elite camp for coaching training and testing. Based on testing at this camp and events in 2007 athletes will be chosen to represent the US at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing, China. Two weeks after traveling to San Diego with Team A Step Ahead, Amy Winters went back to San Diego to run the Silver Strand ½ Marathon. Amy set a course record for female amputees with a time of 1 hour and 31 minutes. 2006 was an extraordinary year for the first official year of Team A Step Ahead. With many national and world records broken we are very excited about the plans for a beiger and better year in 2007. Team A Step Ahead is planning a much bigger year for 2007 with more support for athletes and a bigger presence at major events. Contact Phil Kreuter to find out more about Team A Step Ahead and how we can help you reach your athletic goals. The first major event for Team A Step Ahead for 2007 will be the annual ASPIRE 10 Kilometer (6.2 miles) race on Saturday March 31. Team A Step Ahead is planning to have its largest team ever at this annual road race. If you feel that you are unable to complete the full 10 kilometers we can arrange to have you run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). There is also a ½ mile fun run for children under 12. If you are interested in running and training for the ASPIRE 10K race contact Phil Kreuter. A Step Ahead’s facilities will be open to you by appointment for training for this early spring race. For more information about Team A Step Ahead visit: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/tasah.html
Amputee Coalition of America
Mark your calendars now for the ACA Annual Conference June 15-17, 2007 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel Atlanta, Georgia. The ACA conference is the largest and most informative annual conference for people with limb loss. Register early. For more information visit the ACA website: http://www.amputee-coalition.org/annual_meeting_about.html
Spanish-Speaking Amputees now have access to information online. The ACA has announced a Spanish edition of their website. The Web site provides information about ACA services, the Spanish edition of First Step – A Guide for Adapting to Limb Loss, and a comprehensive database of the organization’s most popular and relevant articles, www.Amputee-Coalition.org/Spanish
Mobility Clinics
The winter months are upon us but Dave Balsley and Phil Kreuter will continue to host the monthly clinics. This month’s clinic will be held on Sunday December 17 at 10 am at the Jericho High School track. They will provide instruction in gait training running techniques as well as advanced mobility skills. Dave and Phil have extensive experience working with amputees of all ages and activity levels. For more information and directions to the mobility clinic, please call the office.
From Theresa, Patient Care Coordinator
Communication with our patients is very important to providing the best possible care. We have found that many of the contact phone numbers and e-mails that we have are obsolete. If you know that you have changed any of your phone numbers your email or home address recently please contact the office and provide us with your most recent contact information. Each time you come in the facility, please see me about verifying your personal information.
Technology
The Proprio Foot & Ankle System: In our continued effort to assist patients to live life without limitations we have begun fitting the Proprio Foot by Ossur. A Step Ahead is one of the first private facilities in the world to be authorized by Ossur to fit the Proprio foot. The Proprio foot and ankle system is the first powered prosthesis for below the knee amputees. This new technology incorporates artificial intelligence and terrain logic which improves mobility and reduces energy expenditure. If you are interested in finding out more about the Proprio foot and ankle system call A Step Ahead for a free consultation. For more detailed information on this exciting new technology call and speak to one of our prosthetists or go to the following link: www.bionics.ossur.com/pages/312. The New C-leg: Otto Bock has recently launched its newest update to the C-leg. The C-leg has been redesigned to include a wireless remote to allow the patient to switch between modes, an electronic lock for standing and a 3rd mode that allows the user to slightly adjust the knees function for a variety of activities. For more information about the C-leg call and speak to one of our prosthetists or visit: www.ottobockus.com/PRODUCTS/LOWER_LIMB_PROSTHETICS/c-leg.asp
The Holidays We all know what is like to eat and drink more during the holiday time. It is hard to resist all the parties and the extra food that goes with them. Be aware that with this extra intake of food and drink and subsequent weight gain you may have changes in the fit of your prosthesis. When your body weight changes or fluctuates, you will notice that your prosthetic socket may not feel right or fit correctly. You may notice pressure areas and discomfort in specific locations on your residual limb. With minor and gradual changes in weight (maximum 3-5 lbs) your prosthetist can make changes to the prosthetic socket to accommodate for these changes. If your body weight changes drastically or quickly either up or down your prosthetist may need to completely fabricate an entire new prosthetic socket. If you notice that you are not fitting properly in your prosthesis or there is discomfort or areas of pressure that feel uncomfortable you should not hesitate to contact your prosthetist. If you wait too long to address the issue of weight changes with a prosthetic socket that is not fitting well, you will potentially have major changes in your prosthetic socket which could time consuming and potentially costly. The keys to maintaining body weight are a well balanced diet and an active lifestyle that incorporates cardiovascular and strengthening exercises. For each person the level of exercise and active will vary greatly. What ever level of activity that you choose, be it training for a marathon or being able to walk to the store without fatigue it is essential that you remain active and closely monitor any body weight changes and report them to your prosthetist.
Holiday Gift Ideas
If you are interested in a providing a useful gift to someone with limb loss and Fetterman Crutches http://www.fetterman-crutches.com/ offers a variety of lightweight folding, anatomic and soft grip crutches for travel and recreational use. Light weight folding crutches ease the burden of traveling with heavy bulky crutches. Another great gift idea is to make a donation to the Amputee Coalition of America. You can make this important gift to the ACA online at http://www.amputee-coalition.org/giving/index.html or call the ACA at 1-888-AMP-KNOW.
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