He offers these general tips to help you:

Talk with your care team

If you are in the hospital or starting rehabilitation, you can learn more about assistive devices and options by talking with your physician, physiotherapist and or your occupational therapist.

See your family doctor

If you are in the community, Giovanni recommends making an appointment with your family doctor to discuss next steps. They can refer you to a specialist or prosthetist. Giovanni recommends getting a physician’s referral because it is required when applying for funding coverage.

Check your private health insurance plan

If you also have health insurance with a private company, it’s important to find out what your plan may cover, Giovanni advises. “Always submit your quote [the potential cost of the medical device] to your insurance provider for a pre-determination first,” says Giovanni. “You may be asked to pay upfront, unlike your dental plan, but your plan may be able to waive this requirement depending on your situation.”

Bring all documents to your specialist appointment

“Patients referred to us at SCIL bring in all information in addition to their OHIP card and possible private health insurance coverage,” says Giovanni.

If you are receiving social assistance, he recommends that you also bring to your specialist, your most recent proof of social assistance to confirm that coverage. “That way, they have the complete picture. They are able to prepare the appropriate funding options based on your financial situation,” he says.

Learn about other potential partial funding sources

Charities are also a possible resource for additional funding assistance. They generously help specific patient populations and depending on your medical condition and assistive device need, you may be eligible for additional funding support.

The post Are you coping with limb loss and have questions about how to access a prosthesis? appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Some competitors will use various types of prosthetics during the competition, so we reached out to Shane Glasford, Sunnybrook’s Team Lead of Prosthetics, Sunnybrook Centre for Independent Living (SCIL) to learn more about these devices.

How long have you been working in this field?
I graduated in 1994 so I have been working for 23 years in prosthetics.

How big is the team you oversee?
We have four technicians and five prosthetists.

What kind of patients do you see in SCIL?
We see patients that have lost a limb due to a multitude of reasons including congenital defects, trauma, and complications to diseases like diabetes.

What is the process of being fitted with a prosthetic entail?
The prosthetic treatment path has many steps. Patients first receive a thorough physical assessment, which includes how they hope to use a prosthetic in their daily lives. After that comes a cast of the remaining limb that is removed immediately and filled with plaster-of-paris. The Prosthetist then reshapes and smooths the plaster to appropriately distribute the body weight over the surface of that residual limb. After the socket is fabricated, the next step is alignment. This involves positioning the knee (where applicable) and foot in a position that ensures knee stability, and proper foot function while the patient is walking. This varies for everyone, and for new amputees, needs to be adjusted as their walking improves. During the entire process, the patient is also working with the physiotherapist to optimize their gait and prevent bad habits.

For our upper extremity amputees, the shape capture, rectification, and socket provision is very similar.

An extremely critical piece of the process is the work of the occupational therapist. No prosthesis can accomplish the range of tasks — from fine control to powerful work — our bodies can, so we work with patients to find the best compromise or a selection of devices to fulfill the patient’s needs.

In addition to the physical needs of your patients, how does your team address the psychological needs of amputees?
The prosthetists work within a multi-disciplinary team. While I have found the use of a prosthesis often improves the patient’s psychological outlook, it can also signify a major step “back” to their former lives.

Both social work and psychology experts are available at Sunnybrook to provide further support to patients if needed.

Tell me more about the customized work happening here at Sunnybrook.
Every prosthesis, be it for everyday wear or for a specific use like sport, is a custom manufactured device. Even the manufactured components – including feet, knees and adapters – are chosen from thousands of options. We try to accommodate each patient’s desires, from pictures or logos on the prosthesis to a realistic “skin”.

Are the technologies around prosthetic devices changing quickly?
We seem to be in a period of change. Some older ideas are getting a fresh spin and there are also a number of advancements becoming available. Overall, it’s a very dynamic field that continues to offer more choices to patients every year.

Will you be watching the Invictus Games?
I hope to! Many of the events are during the workday, but there are a few events on the weekend that I would like to attend.

The post How Sunnybrook’s prosthetics team helps patients return to maximum function appeared first on Your Health Matters.