Live-In Amputation Care Services | Amputation Care Within the Security and Comforts of Home
An amputation causes significant disruption in the lives of older adults who must find new ways to manage daily living activities and maintain their independence.
At FCP Live-In, we provide live-in care so that older adults who have undergone an amputation can continue their physical and emotional healing in a secure and familiar environment.
For more than two decades, FCP Live-In has helped seniors and their family members meet the challenges resulting from the loss of a limb by providing quality, personalized amputation care services.
As a leading in-home care agency, FCP Live-In offers a wide range of services that include:
Personal Care Services
- Help with bathing, showering, dressing, grooming, feeding
- Help with toileting, incontinence care, and safe trips to the bathroom at night
- Help with walking, transfer (from bed to a wheelchair or a chair or toilet)
- Help with medication management
Light Housekeeping Services
- Dusting, vacuuming, sweeping
- Changing and making beds
- Cleaning kitchen and bathrooms
- Preparing nutritious meals
- Laundry
- Grocery hopping
- Running errands
Companion Services
- Providing transportation and accompanying clients to and from medical appointments
- Helping with exercise, as directed by a doctor
- Providing companionship to clients
- Accompanying client to social and recreational activities
- Engaging client in meaningful conversation
No two cases of an amputation are the same, which is why FCP Live-In customizes its services to meet the unique needs of our clients. Our trained and compassionate live-in caregivers are there to help with daily routines and provide professional support and respect to which you or your loved are entitled.
If you want the best affordable live-in care from highly skilled caregivers, contact FCP Live-In. Call us today at 1 (866) 559-9492.
Amputation And Its Causes
Amputation involves removing all or a portion of a body part because of trauma, an illness, or in surgery to save a patient’s life. Amputation results in a permanent disability that may impact a person’s mobility, dexterity, physical health, and emotional and mental well-being.
A variety of events can cause an amputation, such as:
- Vehicle accidents
- Workplace injuries
- Surgery to remove a tumor from bones and muscles (usually done in treating cancer)
- Diabetes
- Blood clots
- Burn wounds
- Circulation disorders
- Infection in the bones
- Peripheral vascular disease
Rehabilitation usually begins a few days after the person has recovered from surgery. And, depending on the type of amputation, physical rehabilitation can be a long, arduous journey. For instance, a person who had a leg removed must learn how to maintain balance and mobility, and care for the “stump,” the part of the limb that is left after the amputation.
While the goal of medical treatment and therapy is to help the person learn how to function again, help with daily routine activities is necessary during the long-term recovery. What’s more, assistance is needed when complications arise from the amputation due to factors such as, age, underlying health conditions, or problems with the amputated area.
Undoubtedly, a live-in caregiver can provide practical assistance, such as helping the senior transfer from a bed to a wheelchair or go to the toilet or accompany the person to doctor appointments or therapy sessions. FCP Live-In caregivers give added assurance and consistent service to families who are experiencing shock, grief, and frustration over a life-changing event.
Possible After Effects From An Amputation
Studies show that amputation of a lower limb can potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular events, And, people with diabetes are more at risk for having a lower limb amputation, such as a toe, a foot, or part of a leg. What’s more, even after an amputation, a person with diabetes can experience additional complications that require amputations of another toe and even a leg.
According to the Amputee Coalition, up to 55 percent of people with diabetes who have had a leg amputated will need the second leg amputated within two to three years.
In addition, it’s common for people to have a “phantom sensation,” which is feeling as if the limb is still there. The phantom sensation can cause a tingly or prickly sensation, or feeling as if missing toes or fingers are moving, or feeling the missing limb is getting shorter or is still there but in a “funny position.”
Along with phantom sensation, a person may also experience “phantom pain,” which is sharp, shooting, achy, or cramping pain in the missing part of the arm or leg.
It’s important to have as much support as possible because, besides physical issues, people who have had an amputation may experience depression, anger, and grief over losing a limb.
Amputations Projected To Double
Nearly 2 million people in the United States are living with the loss of a limb, and more than 185,000 amputations occur in the nation each year, according to the Amputee Coalition of America. A forecast of amputations shows the number of people expected to have an amputation will more than double by the year 2050 to 3.6 million.
Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that 82 percent of amputations are caused by vascular disease, which includes such conditions as hypertension, pulmonary embolisms, stroke, blot clots, and aneurysms. The Amputee Coalition of America notes that almost half of the people who have amputations because of vascular disease will die within five years, which is higher than the five-year mortality rates for breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
Statistics also show that diabetes is present in 82 percent of all vascular-related lower-limb amputations in the United States. Research shows that the lifetime risk of undergoing an amputation is 30 times greater for individuals with diabetes than for people who do not have diabetes.
Also, below-knee amputations are the most common amputations and nearly 70 percent of amputations caused by trauma involve the upper limbs.
Older Adults Need In-Home Support
If you or your loved had an amputation, then you understand how losing a limb can disrupt your entire life. Activities that you once took for granted, such as walking to the bathroom or getting up from a chair, now bring great fear of losing your balance and falling, particularly if you had a leg amputation. And, falling down carries the risk of breaking bones and causing more physical injuries.
If that isn’t enough, caregiving for a loved one who has had a limb amputation, yet wants to live independently, is also physically draining, frustrating, and overwhelming. Helping your loved one take care of personal needs, like toileting, can be embarrassing for both you and your loved one.
Family members may believe that moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home may help their loved one. However, leaving familiar surroundings to live in a new environment with strangers can be just as devastating as dealing with the loss of a limb. What’s more, these facilities are usually expensive and understaffed, which means staff cannot provide the immediate attention you or your loved one may need.
A live-in caregiver, like the highly skilled caregivers at FCP Live-In, can alleviate the daily challenges brought on by a life-altering event, like an amputation. And, our services are done in the comfort and security of home. Most importantly, our live-in caregivers provide the emotional support needed after a traumatic event.
About FCP Live-In And Our Amputation Care Services
We have provided the ultimate solution for assisted amputation care services since 1997. Our live-in amputation care services agency is committed to providing a unique and customized In-Home amputation care services approach to senior care with the goal of a lifestyle that provides enjoyment for the one in care, and families with peace of mind.
FCP Live-In is a Live-In Home Care company with over two decades of experience specializing in elderly care needs within the home. Our live-in caregiver staff provides an insurance policy of safe and supportive care, along with a 24-hour professional support system that starts with our direct care staff in the home and expands out to a multi-faceted corporate structure that is there for the client and the Live-in Caregiver at all times.
For more information about our amputation care services contact FCP Live-In today at 866-559-9492 or please fill out the form below.
Source Links
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/amputation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546594/
https://advancedtissue.com/2015/07/what-are-some-causes-of-amputation/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/amputation/
https://jneuroengrehab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12984-018-0400-0
https://www.amputee-coalition.org/resources/limb-loss-statistics/#1
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000050.htm
https://www.amputee-coalition.org/resources/limb-loss-statistics/#1
https://advancedamputees.com/amputee-statistics-you-ought-know
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546594/