Process - Amputation

Offer/Provide information on resources for amputation and information about self-help groups.

The University of Michigan has a support group that meets the first Tuesday of the month from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Orthotics and Prosthetics clinic on Eisenhower. For a map . For information call Chris Casteel at (734) 975-3139.

Sue Sefansky, LMSW is the social worker assigned to this service. She has a contact that has Ampu Teddy Bears. Iif you have a pediatric patient or young adult that might like to have such a stuffed animal, let Sue know and she will give you the contact. It can be any extremity, right or left, upper or lower. You can e-mail her through Sefansky@med.umich.edu

If you know of a patient for whom an amputation is being considered, Sue can also put you in touch with people associated with the support group who would be willing to speak with the patient for support.

Social work with amputees is much like social work with any other group of people — there are many factors that make each client’s situation
unique, and it is a practice with a broad range of responsibilities. Social workers should be aware that “much of the time a person is working
with this population isn’t necessarily working intensely in the therapy piece,” said Omal Bani Saberi, a social worker who works with amputees.
While social workers do provide psychotherapy to some amputee clients, “most of the time what one is trying to deal with is finding the right prosthetist, how to talk to the doctor, [and helping provide] advocacy skills,” Saberi said. Some of the help people need when coping with an amputation includes how to find a prosthetist, dealing with insurance and finding support groups, Rossbach said. Read the rest of the article that was the result of a meeting in 2002 between NASW and representatives from the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), the organizations began to forge a collaboration
to improve services to amputees.