Breaking New Ground/Indiana AgrAbility, the National AgrAbility Project, and Northwestern University Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (NURERC) brought together a focus group of nine farmers with upper limb amputations on April 3. All nine farmers either used a Dorrance hook prosthesis or did not use a prosthesis. There were active and retired farmers, single amputees, double arm amputees, and a double upper/double lower amputee. Discussion topics included which prosthetist they saw, why they didn’t use their prosthetic devices, what has broken and how they fixed it, how they would improve prosthetics, if they received any secondary injuries while using a prosthetic, and if they had tried a myoelectric prosthesis and if so, why or why not they hadn’t kept it.
Northwestern RERC still would like to talk to amputees, both upper and lower. To participate or if you know someone who would like to participate, please call Kathy Waldera at Northwestern University at 312-238-6506.
Submitted by: Steve Swain