Monday, October 1, 2018

Tips for daily living

Losing a limb is a life-changing event. How much of an effect it has on your daily life depends on each individual and situation. For some, it’s just a momentary pause before life gets back to nearly normal, but for others it can be a dramatic change in lifestyle where every activity is somehow different. It’s not only the amputee who has to make changes, often family members, friends and caregivers – even coworkers – must adapt as well. 
If you are an amputee, you’ve likely found ways to adapt your life, whether it’s through a prosthesis or other means or a combination of both. If you’re a recent amputee, we’ve gathered a few items and ideas that will help you in the days and months to come.
  • Thick Leggings: The thick material holds up better against wear. If they do happen to wear, a quick stitch or two fixes the problem.
  • Elastic shoelaces. These little miracles stretch so your foot can slide into the shoe without loosening the laces.
  • Clear pathways. Navigating a cluttered stairway or overflowing garage may not have been such a big deal before, but as an amputee, you’ll want to have a wide, clear path for navigation to prevent tripping and falling hazards.
  • Pant clips can help single-handed people who find it hard to pull up pants and underwear.  Clipped to the front of paints, they can be removed and tucked away for later use.
  • Daily living accessories such as voice-controlled lamps, light switches and phones, doorknob-turners, button aids (picture), dressing sticks (picture), one-handed cutting boards – you would be amazed at the variety of aides available today.
  • Velcro can be used in a variety of ways to assist in daily activities. Many use it on the bottom of their prosthetic foot to keep on any kind of dressy flats, sandals, flip flops or other shoes that don’t tie, in place.
  • Iron on reinforcement patches secured to the inside of pants can help keep the socket from rubbing away at the material.
  • Bra fastening adapters can help those singled handed ladies with the nearly impossible task of fastening a bra.
Life after limb loss is all about finding ways to what you want, in the best ways that work for you. You may not be able to do things the same way, but with some adaptation, you’ll eventually develop systems and habits to function and get the tasks accomplished. Have you discovered your own trick to make life easier? If so, drop us a note and let us know.