AMPUTEE SUPPORT GROUP OF

NORTHERN VIRGINIA NEWSLETTER

Support Group Meeting

The Amputee Support Group of Northern Virginia (ASGNVA) met at its regularly-scheduled meeting on April 5, 2005, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., at the Telestar Court Building in Falls Church, Virginia.  As usual, not many “expert” amputees attended the meeting, but two “amateur” amputees came for advice and companionship.  We provided that as best as we were able and I’ll get New Amputee Information Packets out to them as soon as possible.  Hopefully ASGNVA can offer them some support and encouragement as lethargic as it is.

News and Announcements

ASGNVA Funds and Donations – ASGNVA does not require any dues from its members; please consider contributing $4.50, the cost of one member’s (you) newsletter postage, today. Better yet, donate $9.00 and sponsor a member that can’t afford the $4.50 – they are usually the ones that don’t have Internet access and we have to mail their newsletter to them instead of e-mailing it.  To donate to ASGNVA by phone or to obtain a donation form, call 703-289-2072. To donate by mail (without the donation form), send a check or money order to Inova Health System Foundation, 8110 Gatehouse Road, Falls Church, VA 22042.  To donate online, go to https://connect.inova.com/j/inovanet.srt/forms/donation/donatenow.htm. Remember to donate to Inova Foundation Fund 352.

ACA's LLEAP Curriculum Now Available as Free Download - The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) is proud to announce the digitization of the Limb Loss Education & Awareness Program (LLEAP) for use as a teaching tool.  The curriculum manual, photographs, stickers and bookmarks can be downloaded at no cost from the ACA Web site at http://www.amputee-coalition.org/publications_lleap.html.

            The curriculum is aimed at able-bodied students in the 3rd to 5th grades, but can easily be adapted for use with children from preschool through 6th grade.

            The manual contains 24 lesson plans, tips for use in the classroom and an annotated bibliography.  Photographs depicting children wearing their prostheses, stickers that can be printed on 2” x 2 5/8” size labels, and bookmarks are all available in full color for download.

            Originally printed and distributed as an outreach program of the ACA, LLEAP addresses the social stigma of children with disabilities, particularly those with a limb difference.  The curriculum is based upon the premise that children can be taught to recognize and appreciate differences in themselves and others.

            Patricia Isenberg, MS, ACA's Chief Operating Officer and author of the LLEAP curriculum states, “Building upon this appreciation for differences, children will begin to ask questions and develop a personal awareness of their attitudes toward differences.  These experiences, hopefully, will encourage children to explore disability issues and their role in promoting acceptance of other people.”

            Through a sequence of multi-sensory activities in the LLEAP curriculum, children will:

• Realize that individuals are more alike than different
• Identify their own strengths and attributes
• Develop an appreciation for the strengths and accomplishments of other people
• Explore interdependence and the nature of the helping relationship
• Become aware of how limb loss/limb difference might affect daily activities
• Appreciate the strengths and accomplishments of people with limb loss/limb differences
• Understand the types, functions and limitations of prostheses.

            For more information on how to incorporate this curriculum in your local school system, scouting programs or other youth groups, please contact Meredith P. Goins, Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for the Amputee Coalition of America by calling the ACA toll-free at 888/AMP-KNOW (888/267-5669) or through e-mail at mgoins@amputee-coalition.org.

Phone Information And Security – I received this e-mail from a friend who requested that I share it with everyone I know including anyone on the newsletter list.

I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was conducting a test on telephone lines He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine (9), zero (0), the pound sign (#), and then hang up.  Luckily, I was suspicious and refused.   Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number.   I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons. I have also verified this information with UCB Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic and GTE. Please beware. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE.   The GTE Security Department requested that I share this information with EVERYONE I KNOW. PLEASE pass this on to everyone YOU know. If you have mailing lists and/or newsletters from organizations you are connected with, I encourage you to pass on this information to them.  After checking with Verizon they said it was true, so do not dial (9), zero (0), the pound sign # and hang up for anyone.

New Townhouses with Universal Design Features - Lutheran Housing Services, a nonprofit organization focused on providing safe, adequate, and affordable housing in Fairfax County, is pleased to announce that construction will begin soon on eight, 3-level townhouses in Burke Centre.  The houses will incorporate universal design features that enable accessible living and "visitability."  These units may also include some "smart home" features, which through technology will provide greater ease of living for individuals with a range of disabilities.  In interested in being considered for the purchase of one or more of the units or for more information, please e-mail us at info@lutheranhousing.org or call 703-691-8525.

Affordable Dwelling Units Available for Purchase - There will be several Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs) available for purchase this year for households with a member at least 55 years old. To be eligible to purchase an ADU, your household must:

1.     Be a first-time homebuyer-defined as not presently owning a residence nor having owned a residence within the past three years (an exception can be given for displaced homemakers.);

2.     Have a minimum income of $25,000 per year;

3.     Have income within maximum limits of $43,750/household of one to $62,500/household of four;

4.     Attend an orientation session;

5.     Attend a VHDA Homeownership Educational Class;

6.     Obtain a conditional pre-approval letter from a lender, and

7.     Attend an application session providing verifications. 

           The next orientation session will be held at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA on May 12, 2005 in Rooms 2/3 and 4/5 at 7:00 p.m. Seating is on a first come/first served basis, so please arrive early to be assured a seat. Please see their Web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/homebuyer for further information about the program and dates and times of VHDA classes. You may also call 703-246-5087 between the hours of 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. or visit the Homeownership Resource Center at 3700 Pender Drive, Fairfax, Virginia between 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday except Wednesdays; Wednesdays the center is open from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

           The program can arrange an expedited process for senior households since they currently have one-bedroom plus den units available in Springfield and will be having other units available soon in Vienna.

ASGNVA Updating Newsletter Database –  Page 9 of this newsletter is an application form for the Amputee Support Group of Northern Virginia, which contains the information that we keep on our members for various statistical purposes.  If, in addition to the information requested on the form, you would like to provide your birth year and veteran status, that information would also be useful.  In any event, please complete the information on page 9 and return it to Beth Harris, 6316 Sumerduck Rd, Remington, VA 22734-2308, 540-439-3656, BeTheHarris@earthlink.net or at ASGNVA@earthlink.net as soon as possible.  I’ll take it any way I can get it – leave it on my voice mail if I’m not at home.  Failure to return the information may result in your being dropped from the newsletter distribution list.  Thank you for your cooperation. 

Services and Products

ASGNVA Web Pages – INOVA Fairfax Hospital hosts our “official” web page, which can be accessed at: http://www.inova.org/inovapublic.srt/rehabilitation/amputee_support.htm.  The dynamic ASGNVA UNOFFICIAL WEB PAGE can be accessed at http://home.earthlink.net/~asgnva/ASGNVA.html.  I will continue to add newsletters (both current and archived) as well as other information, as applicable.  Let me know if you want to see something on the page – your “webmaster” is only an e-mail or phone call away. 

ASGNVA Lending Library – Come to a meeting and borrow a book or see what new handouts are available. If you would like to borrow materials from ASGNVA’s Lending Library, please contact Jason Bulger or Beth Harris or e-mail asgnva@earthlink.net. 

 

ASGNVA Has A Loaner Scooter – A very generous person donated an electric scooter to the Amputee Support Group.  Currently Andy Ryder has it and is working out any kinks but, so far, it seems to be OK.  If you need to use it, shoot off an email to asgnva@earthlink.net or call Beth at 540-439-3656. 

Member Updates

Art Tracy – How very exciting! Art Tracy, one of our members out here in the boonies with me, was written up in the newspaper because he was involved in an automobile accident.  He wasn’t injured but it sounds like his car was – look out for that teen-age driver!

POLICE & COURT BRIEFS -- Driver Charged in Wreck    A Bealeton teen was charged with failure to yield the right of way after she was involved in a collision at the intersection of U.S. 17 and Route 28 Monday.    According to an accident report taken by a deputy from the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, the accident occurred at 4 p.m., when the 17-year-old driver tried to make a left turn onto Route 28 from U.S. 17.  Upon doing so, she failed to yield the right of way and entered the northbound travel lane on Route 28 in front of another car, police said.    The second car, which was operated by Arthur William Tracy Jr., 42, of Jeffersonton, struck the teen’s car in the rear passenger door, according to the report.    No one was injured, but both vehicles were towed from the scene. Fauquier Times-Democrat, February 16, 2005, A15

Joce Graham – Joce had some troubles and was in the hospital, but she’s home now. She’s scheduled to have knee replacement surgery on her “good” leg in July. Ultimately she’ll have a BK prosthesis on one side and a knee replacement on the other. She’s been a long time already coming to her amputation (just last year) and now she gets to look at long rehabilitation from knee replacement surgery. I know all of you can empathize so keep her in your thoughts. She asked me to include this quote in the newsletter.

 

Patrick McCardle – Patrick McCardle died unexpectedly on March 18, 2005.  He was one of our “new” amputees and attended meetings on a regular basis. He was also a participant in the PALS study.  Our sincerest sympathy and prayers go to his wife, Ginny, and all of his family.

John Patrick McCardle
McCARDLE, JOHN PATRICK (Age 69) On March 18, 2005 in Fairfax, VA. He was preceded in death by his brother Mick McCardle. He is survived by his loving wife of 22 years Virginia McCardle; children, Shahadra Beals, John Patrick McCardle II, Laurie McCardle; step-daughters, Cindy Padgett, Linda Scibilia and Lisa Eichinger; grandchildren, Meagan, Zoe, Jullian, Lyric and Kiley; brother Bob McCardle and nieces, Kay and Lee. Friends may call at EVERLY FUNERAL HOME, 1565 Main St., Fairfax, VA 22030 on Tuesday, March 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. Memorial service will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 1 p.m. at Clifton Presbyterian Church, 12748 Richards Lane, Clifton, VA 20124. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association. Published in The Washington Post on 3/21/2005.

Scheduled Events                                          

ASGNVA Monthly Meeting – The next monthly meeting is May 3. As we didn’t see the Ossiointegration video yet, we can watch that after we ask for nominations and/or volunteers for Board positions. ASGNVA needs some of your time. 

            As usual, there will be current copies of Disabled Dealer and many other new handouts.  Remember - YOU have the choice to make your support group better and more useful to you and to others.

15th National Amputee Golf Association Combo Classic Golf Tournament - Fairfax County Parks Twin Lakes Golf Course, 6201 Union Mill Rd., Clifton, VA 20124, June 10-11, 2005, call 703-631-9099, ext. 206 or e-mail: kirk.mason@co.fairfax.va.us.  Directions: take Beltway Exit 54A (Braddock Road) west approximately 11 miles to left on Union Mill Road, entrance is on the left (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/maps/twinlakesmap.htm).

ACA Annual Educational Conference & Exposition, August 11-13, 2005, Dallas, TX - Don’t miss this exciting event! Mark your calendar and make your plans today to attend the ACA 2005 Annual Educational Conference & Exposition. Changing Direction: Leading the Way to Better Care is the theme of the 2005 conference, and issues related to amputation, pain control, technology, fitness, gait training, and advocacy will be covered in 3 days of nonstop sessions, events and social activities. Learn how the ACA is working for you in DC as we launch the largest advocacy campaign in ACA history!
New additions for 2005 include:

• Technology sessions and health screenings in the exhibit hall
• Daily refreshment breaks
• Less conflicts and more time between sessions
• Plated meals and more seating in banquet areas
• All sessions and exhibit hall located on one floor.

All conference events and activities will take place at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. The ACA has secured a discounted room rate of $100/night plus taxes. To reserve your room, please call the Fairmont toll-free at 800/441-1414. If you have special needs, please book early. There are a limited number of accessible rooms and shower chairs available, and they will be booked on a first-come/first-serve basis.

Calendar of Events

 

April 2005
3	Happy Birthday to Angela Jones!
7	Happy Birthday to Eve Miller!
17	Happy Birthday to Jenny Southerly!
20	Happy Birthday to James Hutchison!
22	Happy Birthday to Stan Smith!
29	Ability With Mobility – Last Thursday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m., 2nd floor, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, 9909 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD.  Contact Sandy Shehadeh, 240-864-6200.
30	Happy Birthday to Beth Harris!
May 2005
1-31	Mental Health Month, National Mental Health Association and National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, 2001 North Beauregard Street, 12th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22311, (800) 969-6642, www.nmha.org Materials available.  Contact: Mary Graham
2	Happy Birthday to Helmut Bernat!
3	Amputee Support Group of Northern Virginia (ASGNVA) – First Tuesday of the month, 7:30-9:00 p.m., 2990 Telestar Court Building, Gemini Room, Falls Church, VA.  Contact Beth Harris, 540-439-3656, betheharris@earthlink.net or asgnva@earthlink.net.
6	Happy Birthday to Joan Pressler!
7	Fredericsksburg Area Amputee Support Team (FAAST) – Second Tuesday of the month, 7:00-9:00 p.m., The disAbility Resource Center, 409 Progress Street, Fredericksburg, VA.  Contact Greg Wright, 540-899-2655 or 800-333-4102. Winchester Amputee Support Group – Second Tuesday of the month, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Conference Room, Second floor, Winchester Rehabilitation Center, 333 W. Cork St, Winchester, VA.  Contact Christie Augustine, 540-536-5113.
8
12	Happy Birthday to Jeff Schaffer!
13	Happy Birthday to Joyce Hawes!
15	Happy Birthday to William Carter!
17	Washington Amputee Association (WAA) – Third Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8:30 p.m., National Rehabilitation Hospital, 102 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC, Ground Floor Dining Room (rear section, near the windows and behind the partition).  Contact Roy Dwyer, 301-897-2816.
18	Kernan Hospital Amputee Support Group – Third Wednesday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m., SCI Gym Room G604, Kernan Hospital, 2200 Kernan Dr., Gwynn Oak, MD.  Contact Mark Senker at 410-581-7027.    Happy Birthday to Roby Sheppard!
24	Happy Birthday to Charles Gordon!
25	Happy Birthday to Patrick Dolan!
26	Ability With Mobility – Last Thursday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m., 2nd floor, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, 9909 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD.  Contact Sandy Shehadeh, 240-864-6200.
30	Happy Birthday to Minor Twyman

 

 

Closing the Gap Between Rehabilitation and Lifetime Physical Activity

          This past decade has been very tough on physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs). Managed care, or as some call it, managed competition, has severely truncated the amount of time that PTs and OTs have available to rehabilitate people with injuries and disabilities in hope of getting them to a point where they can function independently or semi-independently when they return home. To the dismay of many therapists, patients are often discharged prematurely, leaving them ill-prepared to handle new and challenging environmental obstacles.

          This weighs heavily on the hearts and minds of PTs and OTs, who during their school years take "vows" to serve people with disabilities to the best of their ability, but quickly learn upon entering the workforce that they are actually serving the myriad insurance companies who dictate the amount of rehabilitation that a person will receive after incurring an injury or disability. Upon discharge from rehabilitation, the patient and caregiver are often left with many unanswered questions: Whom can I turn to if I injure myself performing a transfer? How can I avoid an upper-respiratory or urinary tract infection? Will I be able to recognize an early-stage pressure ulcer? What kind of exercises should I do to reduce shoulder pain?

          An article in New Mobility magazine last fall noted that in 1974 the average time a person spent in rehab after sustaining a spinal cord injury was 127 days. Today that number is closer to 50. The early return home often results in a spiraling decline in health, evidenced by increased social isolation, sedentary behavior, weight gain, and loss of function. Dr. David Chen of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago asks: "When you take patients who are physically and emotionally unprepared and move them through the rehab system like widgets on a conveyor belt, how much can they be expected to achieve?"

          The therapists' role in getting the individual to transition from rehabilitation back into community life has diminished. An acute injury, such as a spinal cord or head injury, stroke, amputation, etc., leaves the newly injured person with a formidable list of tasks that must be accomplished before reentering the home setting. With hardly enough time to teach vital skills essential for survival, the therapist is left with little or no time to discuss the importance of improving one's health through proper nutrition, exercise, and general health maintenance. Who will inform the person that there is a local gym two blocks from home that is ADA-accessible, offers discounted memberships, contains a few pieces of accessible exercise equipment, and has a warm-water pool?

          While the therapist focuses on vital skills necessary for compensating a new injury, secondary condition or disability, no one is advising the client that life after rehab begins with a membership at the local fitness center. Offering people with disabilities and chronic health conditions the opportunity to enroll in a community fitness program is vital to maintaining the improvements attained during rehab, and allows the person to transition into a self-directed and empowering physical activity program. Reimbursing a few sessions of rehab without a fitness membership is like paying for the surgical procedure but charging the patient for the recovery room expenses! Rehab can take a long time, and improvements are often measured in months rather than days.  Participating in lifetime physical activity has the potential to reverse the cycle of deconditioning and keep the person out of the hospital.

          We must begin to close the gap between rehabilitation and lifetime physical activity. Everyone needs movement and lots of it. HMOs, Medicare, and Medicaid must provide subsidized fitness memberships to people with disabilities and chronic health conditions so that there is a seamless transition from rehab to wellness. This service should include on-site instruction in using various kinds of exercise equipment, accessing the pool and locker room, and participating in group exercise classes and other health-promoting activities. The client, therapist, and fitness instructor should work together to ensure the safest and most effective program possible. Some of the larger HMOs are starting to offer subsidized fitness memberships, but we still have a long way before every private and government-sponsored health insurance plan provides this benefit to its members.

NCPAD is part of the Department of Disability and Human Development in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Navigating Medicare and Medicaid for People with Disabilities    

Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005: Resource Guides for People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Their Advocates

          The Kaiser Family Foundation new guides, prepared by Bob Williams and Henry Claypool of Advancing Independence and Jeff Crowley of the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, provide information on the role of Medicare and Medicaid for roughly 20 million children, adults, and seniors with disabilities.

          These guides offer a basic introduction to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including answers to questions for people with disabilities such as: applying for Medicare or Medicaid coverage; Medicare's policy for covering durable medical equipment; seeking help in applying; appealing coverage decisions; and seeking coverage during employment. This information can be invaluable in helping persons with disabilities design a total wellness plan, including adequate exercise, proper nutrition, and good medical coverage.

          To download, go to http://www.kff.org/medicaid/index.cfm.

National Council on Disability Conducting ADA Impact Forums

As a part of a year-long study, NCD is sponsoring five public forums around the country to gather testimony from people with disabilities, their families, and their advocates on the impact the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) has had on their lives.

Fifteen years ago, ADA was hailed as a major civil rights law guaranteeing equal opportunity for Americans with disabilities to participate more fully in their communities, to have greater access to goods and services, and to enjoy more employment opportunities. To what extent ADA has achieved its goals of equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities remains an open question, one the public forums will address.

Representing a diversity of regions, populations, and ethnicities, the five sites for the public forums (with dates) are: Iowa City, Iowa (March 25), co-sponsored by the Evert Conner Center on Rights and Resources and the University of Iowa’s Law, Health Policy and Disability Center; Los Angeles, California (March 29), co-sponsored by Western Law Center for Disability Rights; Houston, Texas (April 8), co-sponsored by Independent Living Research Utilization Project; Savannah, Georgia (April 13), co-sponsored by Savannah-Chatham Council on Disability Issues, Savannah Association for the Blind, Inc., and Living Independence for Everyone, Inc.; and Washington, DC (May 3), co-sponsored by Mayor’s Committee on Individuals with Disabilities.

Public forum participants may provide written as well as spoken testimony. Reasonable accommodations will be provided on request to ensure full participation by all individuals seeking to testify on the impact of ADA on their lives.

In addition to holding public forums, the NCD’s ADA Study Team is conducting focus groups and interviews with individuals with disabilities, employers, service providers, business and trade association representatives, and other stakeholders who have been directly affected by ADA. Rounding out the research activities, the ADA Study Team is also conducting an environmental scan to collect data on such ADA impact statistics as number of curb cuts, number of telephone relay calls, number of reasonable accommodations provided by employers, and other indicators to determine whether the law has brought about significant change in the past 15 years.

The ADA Study Team is being advised by a blue ribbon panel of nationally and internationally recognized experts on disability policy chaired by Professor Peter D. Blanck, Director of the Law, Health Policy and Disability Center at the University of Iowa.

For more information, contact NCD contractor Fritz Rumpel, Lockheed Martin Services, Inc., at 912-927-1514 (Voice/TTY) or Fritz.Rumpel@lmco.com (e-mail).

           

 

7:30-9:00 p.m., MAY 3 MEETING

VIDEO

and

NOMINATION OF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Contact Beth Harris, 540-439-3656, BeTheHarris@earthlink.net,

or ASGNVA@earthlink.net