Perspectives Winter/Spring 2019

38 | DR. PALLAVI PATEL COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES EVENT PERSPECTIVES EVENT Perspectives | JUNE 2018 Mobility Fair Putting Core Values Into Action BY SHILPA B. GAIKWAD, PH.D., PT, AND SHARI RONE-ADAMS, D.B.A., PT Approximately two million people in the United States are living with limb loss. The main cause is vascular disease, which includes diabetes and arterial disease, while other causes include trauma and cancer. Periodic health monitoring is important in this population to avoid future complications. In 2017, Adrienne Lauer, Ed.D., OTR/L, envisioned the development of a free health screening fair for individuals with amputa- tion in South Florida. On June 16, 2018, that vision became reality when the inaugural Mobility Fair was held at the NSU Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus with the collaboration of the physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) departments, Hanger Clinic, and Ottobock. Twelve people, ranging in age from 3 to 72, attended the event. Six participants were below-knee amputees; four were above-knee amputees; one was a child with a congenital lower-extremity deformity; and one was a female with lower-extremity bone loss. The event began with an inspiring keynote speech by Pedro Pimenta—a 24-year-old international speaker, best-selling author, and mentor to other amputees. He suffered a fatal form of meningitis that left four limbs amputated. Pedro lives independently in Florida by using his prosthetics for mobility and practicality. His message was that every- one has the power to over- come any situation in life. After the keynote speech, the participants rotated through six stations: residual limb skin screen- ing; donning and doffing of prosthesis; balance, ambulation and prosthesis use; adaptive equipment; and support group/peer mentor meet-up. These stations provided screen- ing and practical advice for everyday living, while addressing questions and concerns from the participants. A number of partici- pants helped answer questions, including Hanger Prosthetists and NSU PT and OT faculty members and students, as well as faculty members and students from the occupa- tional therapy assistant program at Concorde Career College. The Ottobock Prosthetics company also was on hand and provided samples of products for testing. MOBILITY FAIR STUDENT FEEDBACK “Working at the Mobility Fair provided more awareness and insight of the com- ponents of a prosthetic, and I was able to understand things I previously learned in lecture and connect the dots.” “I felt I was giving the clients new infor- mation about their functional abilities, especially when it came to balance issues they may not have been aware of. In addition, I enjoyed having the opportu- nity to work with a prosthetist and an orthotist and get their perspectives regarding the things they look for or do for patients with amputations in order to improve their function.” “This event complemented what I have learned in my program so far by helping to put things in perspective and eliminat- ing some of the fear I initially had in interacting with patients.”