Statistics & Demographics
One thing to consider when addressing the demographics of one-handed people is to look into the most common activities that can lead to injuries that require hand, finger, or arm amputation.
“A traumatic amputation may involve any body part or extremity, including the arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, ears. Statistically, the most common causes of accidental traumatic amputation injuries are as follows:
- Traffic accidents (including bicycles, trains, motorcycles)
- Workplace/factory/construction accidents
- Agricultural accidents (including lawnmowers)
- Firearm/explosives/fireworks accidents (includes military casualties)
- Electrocution accidents
- Ring traction accidents
- Building and car door accidents”
Being that our selected topic is health/self-care, many of these causes do not apply to this category. However, one category that I think can apply to this topic is electrocution accidents. Furthermore, this category is important to look deeper into. Electric shock injuries are caused by lightning or electric current passing through the body. This can be especially dangerous for infants or young adults who don’t know how to use electronic equipment.
Furthermore, to avoid this, parents and other adults need to be aware of possible electric dangers in the home. Some other ways these shock injuries can occur include damaged electric appliances, wiring, cords, and plugs should be repaired, replaced or discarded. It is an important responsibility for parents or care-takers to make sure their children are educated not to play with things like hairdryers, or any electric appliance. At the very least if not educated, they should be supervised to ensure they are not allowed to play with any electrical cord. Electric outlets also require safety covers in homes with young children.
“In children older than 12 years, most electrical injuries result from exploring and playing around high-power systems. Teenagers should accordingly be warned not to climb on power towers, play near transformer systems, or explore electrified train rails or other electrical systems.”
2. http://www.healthofchildren.com/E-F/Electric-Shock-Injuries.htm
This image shows a dangerous situation where a child is left unsupervised in the bathroom with a hairdryer, which can be extremely dangerous and lead to electric shows, and in the worst cases, amputations can be necessary.
This image shows a dangerous situation where a child is left unsupervised in the bathroom with a hairdryer, which can be extremely dangerous and lead to electric shows, and in the worst cases, amputations can be necessary.
Some statistics on the demographics of amputees are as follows. 50,000 new amputations every year in the USA based on information from the National Center for Health Statistics
- “ratio of upper limb to lower limb amputation is 1:4
- most common is partial hand amputation with loss of 1 or more fingers, 61,000
- next common is loss of one arm, 25,000
- existence of 350,000 persons with amputations in USA, 30% have upper limb loss
- of this, wrist and hand amputations are estimated to make up 10% of upper limb population
- transradial amputations make up 60% of total wrist and hand amputations
- which means 70% of all persons with upper limb amputations have amputations distal to the elbow(3)
- In US 41,000 persons are registered who had an amputation of hand or complete arm
- 60% of arm amputations are between ages 21 and 64 years and 10% are under 21 years of age”
3. https://www.ishn.com/articles/97844-statistics-on-hand-and-arm-loss
Current Products
Passive prosthetics and functional prosthetics are the two main solutions for those without arms. Passive prosthetics are only for cosmetic purposes and don’t give the user the ability to grip objects or do much else while functional prosthetics allow the user to complete different tasks and can be cosmetic. There are many variations of each of these prosthetics that fit into both broader categories.
The cost of prosthetics can vary dramatically. Without health insurance, a passive prosthetic can cost less than $5,000. A functional prosthetic with a hook in the place of the hand costs $10,000 and a prosthetic arm with a hand that can be controlled with muscle movements costs $20,000 to $100,000. However, these are typically only designed to last 3 to 5 years and require maintenance as well as complete replacements. It’s not uncommon for someone to require a prosthetic considering 2,000,000 people in the US are missing a limb.
Most amputees say that having a prosthetic takes time to adapt to but if they receive one that fits well the transition is far easier and it’s less likely they’ll have phantom pain.
(James) SOURCES:
http://www.hangerclinic.com/limb-loss/adult-upper-extremity/Pages/Prosthetic-Options.aspx
https://health.costhelper.com/prosthetic-arms.html
https://blog.definitivehc.com/25-most-common-prostheticshttps://www.quora.com/What-does-it-feel-like-to-have-a-prosthetic-arm-or-leg
Current Events
Finding the Core Issue
“After a lot of trial and error, inventor Scott Peters has made a no-fuss magnetic zipper.” This innovation leads to prevent the need for two hands to be needed on either side of the jacket. Scott Peters is the designer of said “Magzip” and was only prompted to look into the idea after a family member was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy (“a condition where the body’s muscles slowly deteriorate and waste away”). The way in which zippers operate is with the grooves on either side perfectly lining up and allowing for the rest to follow mechanically
- However, this does not take into account individuals who may not be as dextrous or strong with their hand mobility
- As stated by the article, common groups that particularly struggle from this downside are the elderly, younger children, and people with disabilities
- The action itself takes not only the precision to interlock the two sides of the sipper but then focus to hold them together before you start interlacing them together
Peters almost immediately began with the integration of magnets to take the fact of people not being able to connect them out of the equation as soon as possible. The problem lay in the strength of the magnets themselves.
- Peters had to find the sweet spot between being strong enough to hold together a piece of clothing that was tensioned around a person and conjoin the sides together, while being weak enough for people to pull apart the two sides when they were taking it off
““It took me a long time, and it was definitely a lot of trial and error,” Peters says. “But it was from me taking apart zippers and assembling each prototype by hand that I determined that the problem all along had to do mostly with bad design.””
- The article concludes with the identification that Peters had to take an everyday concept that was generally accepted blindly by the public when there was room for improvement
- This isolated the core concept of design being usability on the users part and if we have to adapt to the product or vice versa
Accessibility & Innovations
“In the UK, more than 11 million people live with a limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability”
-
- There are a total of 66 million people in the UK meaning 16% of individuals in the UK have something that requires them to go about their daily life differently from others
There are technically bionic limbs available for people who have lost body parts
- The price provided however can be up to £80,000 or $100,000
- There is also the problem of time they bring up with products supposedly taking three months to be developed
A start-up based in Bristol, Open Bionics, however is claiming that it can provide people with an equivalent product in the span of a week for a fraction of the price (£2000) with the help of 3D printing. These devices operate by connecting to the users arm and detecting muscle movements that prompt fingers and joints to move in response. This is advancement in the “assistive technology” branch of developments that empower people with physical disabilities and afford them chance at lives like those around them.
- While these major leaps are being made in product designs, they are also providing users with the feeling of normalcy again and making them feel comfortable in society, not as an outcast with a disability
- Recent developments for people with disabilities has been brought to life in the design community under the regard of “universal design”
- “Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.”
- “Simply put, universal design is good design.”
- This idea of design encompasses as many users into the consideration of a product as possible
- This does not isolate the minority groups and solely focus on them but rather takes the interests of everyone if possible and tries to find the most effective and happy medium while not being inconvenient or inefficient for others
- It is impossible to please everyone with a design but universal design is the attempt at doing this as best as possible
Part of the problem with development in this area is the article mentioning healthcare and how that can severely limit and impair further research and improvements to the field due to manufacturers being attached to that establishment. High profile companies such as Google and NESTA are offering rewards in competitions that promote this sort of innovative research for disabled persons.
(Christian) SOURCES:
a. One Handed Zipper
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/behold-the-worlds-first-one-handed-zipper-7278212/
b. General Disabilities Advice
https://www.rdash.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DP4519-One-handed-activities-web.pdf
c. Bionic Body Parts
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jul/31/3d-printed-limbs-listening-apps-disability-tech-changing-lives
d. Universal Design
http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/
e. One Handed Brain Scans
https://www.sciencealert.com/how-one-handed-people-are-completely-changing-our-understanding-of-the-brain
f. Universal Logo from Google Images w/ Website
http://www.feetfirst.org/blog/universal-design-logo
http://www.feetfirst.org/what-we-do
g. Image of Woman Running on Poster
https://www.goskagit.com/news/former-burlington-edison-student-finds-passion-qualifies-for-paralympics/article_50ab963f-73ac-54b5-97b4-45d154ab2530.html
Standards & Best Practices
Once a person receives their surgery for the amputation, they immediately enter a very long rehabilitation program. This typically begins with them receiving an artificial limb consisting of either a fake arm or a hook. New technology however is allowing patients to begin to move into the world of potential bionic components for their new arm. After receiving a replacement limb, the patient begins a program of rehab to build up extra strength and endurance in the remaining arm. They also learn how to integrate their mouth and feet into activities that became hard with only having one arm. It is recommended that rehabilitation should begin within 24 hours of the surgery to help give the patient empowerment and allows them to set goals that they will strive to reach. The physical therapist will teach amputees how to complete simple tasks that were once easy but are now difficult with only one operational upper limb.
- The people that help amputees consist of physical therapists and occupational therapists. They are the people who devote their lives to help retrain amputees to live the usual lives of most people. This is done through strength training and training of everyday activities. The amputees are taught how to make use of their remaining body parts to make activities not as difficult. An example is a patient learning to use their thighs to help unscrew the top of the toothpaste container.
Entering the workforce again can be extremely intimidating and overwhelming for amputee victims. The task of relearning a job you were once easily good at can be a lot to handle. One amputee victim by the name Miles O’Brien was once a journalist that relied one researching and typing out extensive articles. Now being one handed, his task of typing great lengths was made into a long chore for him. He began by just trying to peck on the keyboard, but that proved to be inefficient for him. The QWERTY keyboard was no longer the effective way to get his thoughts out. He discovered the ability for speech-to-text and started using that for the most part. In the world we live in today, there is accessibility innovations constantly that allow for amputees and similar victims to complete the same tasks but with a little extra help. These accessibility features are unique to many jobs and activities which makes it hard to list them out.
- One company that is on the forefront of innovations is “Freedom Innovations”. This company is in the business of developing technology to improve prosthetics and aid amputees back into daily life. Their website provides resources for amputee victims to reach out and learn more from each other while also receiving help from professional researchers.
(Jack) SOURCES:
https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/fundamentals/rehabilitation/rehabilitation-after-limbamputation
http://hangerclinic.com/limb-loss/resources/what-to-expect/Pages/Rehabilitation.aspx
https://nymag.com/health/bestdoctors/2014/miles-obrien-2014-6/https://www.freedom-innovations.com/amputees/#ampt_uspot
Experiences & Current Problems
Veterans as amputees and government funding
In collaboration with private companies, the Department of Veteran Affairs has funded research and development of modern, advanced, limb prosthetics. According to one of the doctors on the project, the private sector lacks the monetary incentive to further develop upper limb prosthetics due to the fact leg amputees are more common than arm amputees, thus allowing for greater profit. The secretary of Veteran Affairs (in 2017) had also expressed that returning veterans in need of help are to this day using “40-year-old” technology.
The LUKE project is set to change that, as the government-funded models are set to allow performance like no other before through the use of sensors similar to the ones in our phones that recognize when the device is lifted. It’s going to be the first model that allows for the movement of multiple joints and parts of the arm. The models will be sold commercially “in the low six figures (~1-400,000)”, and at the end of the project, only 10 veterans will be given the models.
On dignity, freedom, and respect
I’ve read half a dozen articles and interviews about amputee designers, veterans, and every-day mothers and there seems to be a common thread in their feelings on dignity, freedom, and respect. While I am summarizing their common feelings and frustrations, I don’t know if this is an accurate representation of the overall population.
The people in these articles express frustration with people reacting to their conditions with surprise and pity. From my understanding, people openly engaging them with questions without surprise or pity makes them feel “ordinary”. It creates a feeling of “normal”, when able-bodied people don’t gloat over their amputee, but rather brush it off, and of course help when needed, but most of all treat them with dignity as independent people.
QUOTES from people:
“I hated — still hate — the everyday game of ”let’s pretend”: people looking, looking twice, then pretending they didn’t notice. I wanted them to say, ”What happened to your hand?” I wanted them to make it ordinary.”
(Living with one hand, NYT)
“They don’t want want to be around something that is ugly
and that they fear…
…I don’t feel like I have a disability, I just want to live as normally as possible. It’s other people who remind me that I’m different.”
(One armed woman, The Sydney Morning Herald)
“When you lose an upper extremity, you lose your independence, your ability to take care of yourself,” he said. “When you lose your independence, you lose somewhat of your dignity as a human being…”
(Two Veterans, NYT)
“Disabled people have long been integral to design processes, though we’re frequently viewed as “inspiration” rather than active participants.”
(Original Lifehackers, NYT)
Not a quote, but the girl from the Reach video expressed frustration when people continuously asked for assistance after she had repeatedly done the task just fine in front of them. She understands where they’re coming from, but she can’t help but feel frustrated. It seems to be a question of dignity and independence. (Reach)
QUOTES of PAIN-POINTS and POTENTIAL DESIGN SOLUTIONS:
“I hate every bottle cap that I can’t open with just one hand. And necklaces that I can’t latch with just one hand. And bracelets that won’t slip on.”
(Living with One Hand, NYT)
“In the southern hemisphere, everything is on the left hand side. You walk up steps on the left side, you use left-hand railings, you stand still on escalators on the left.”
(One armed woman, The Sydney Morning Herald)
“There is no podium and no hero’s welcome after all that work, but the simple reward of living more independently.”
(One armed woman, The Sydney Morning Herald)
“Opening anything can be a challenge. A packet of chips or something like that – it’s just generally a two-handed way of doing things, ripping it open. I use my teeth, I get inventive.”
(One armed woman, The Sydney Morning Herald)
“…you have to depend on others to comb your hair, go to the bathroom. With a prosthetic limb, your independence and dignity are returned to you.”
(Two Veterans, NYT)
“…began to plan a new line of kitchen tools with Betsey that would feel good, not just in her hand but in anyone’s hand. That was the genesis of the cooking tools and housewares company OXO, established in 1990.”
(Original Lifehackers, NYT)
(Ivan) SOURCES:
Living with One Hand-
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/25/health/living-with-one-hand-one-heart.html?searchResultPosition=1
One Armed Woman – https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/what-its-like-to-live-as-a-onearmed-woman-in-a-twoarmed-world-20160817-gqunxm.html
Two Veterans –
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/02/nyregion/for-two-veterans-a-freedom-restored-for-independence-day.html?searchResultPosition=7
Original Lifehackers –
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/opinion/disability-design-lifehacks.html?searchResultPosition=2
Reach –
UK Non-profit. Video was an interview with a disabled member.
http://www.reach.org.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v4YY7EtzUU&feature=youtu.be&list=PLvGzI8UQ2C1ShGGZW3WIunkQ6Gy3bdGDS
Phantom Pains:
Phantom pains refer to the sensation one feels after losing a body part. This feeling is painful and the body sends signals of pain to the area of amputation to communicate that something is wrong. Phantom pains usually go away to some extent after six months but many still experience some degree of phantom pains after that period of time. There are many different approaches to reducing the pain such as medicine (specifically some form of painkiller) as well as stretching, acupuncture, physical therapy, and many others.
(Daniel) Sources:
Managing Phantom Pain
Phantom Limb Pain After Amputation: Causes and Treatments
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/phantom-limb-pain#1
4 Tips for Better Sleep After Limb Loss