This event was created for those with bilateral upper limb loss. It is meant as a safe environment for learning, connecting and sharing. The environment is built on trust that all health care professionals have the limb loss individuals best interest in mind and at heart. As a limb loss individual, you should feel safe to ask questions and share information with ANYONE at the meeting.  As a limb loss individual you have the right to: 1) not feel intimidated, 2) not feel judged, 3) not feel that you are being told where to go for services and 4) not feel that you are being recruited to use a certain MD, CP or OT for care. If those with limb loss ever feel uncomfortable at any time during a future SFL event, please approach a member of our planning committee/board and it will be addressed immediately.

We handed out a paper copy of the survey at SFL. We had 49 survey's turned in out of 248 attendees so, if you have not already turned one in, PLEASE take a moment to complete the survey. We want to hear from you about everything, including presentations, activity day and overall impressions.  All comments, feedback and suggestions are appreciated and welcome!

Many of you have asked about the story behind the four gentlemen from Haiti who attended Skills for Life 6, so here it is...

In November 2017, Jack Richmond, President of Amputee Coalition, suggested on a Skills for Life conference call to look into using funds left over from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake donations.  The intent was to bring some individuals from Haiti to the Skills for Life conference to learn and then take back their valuable information to share with others in Haiti.

George Gondo, Director of Research and Grants for Amputee Coalition and a SFL planning committee member, was tasked with making it happen. By December 2017, George and Shawn Johnson were in touch with government health officials who identified a PT liaison, Denise English.  Denise would go on to identify the individuals who would attend SFL in Houston.  By May 2018, it was decided that two healthcare providers, Cedieu Fortilus and Ivens Louius would accompany two limb loss individuals, Jolissaint Joseph and Emmanuel Valcin. Between May and September, letters and documents were developed for their Visa applications. Flights and hotel were then booked late September 2018,  Needless to say without the generosity of Amputee Coalition and the work of Denise English and George Gondo, this experience would not have been possible.

Many of you saw the video Cedieu put together of their experience in Houston and especially of Jolissaint who was provided two ITAL prostheses while at SFL. Click HERE if you have not seen the video, would like to see it again or want to share with others.

Many thanks to Karl Lindborg, Jon Batzdorff, Danielle Melton and especially Brad Veatch for all their efforts in making this happen for Jolissaint.

Resourceful Recordings videotaped the entire workshop!!  It is available for purchase by emailing sales@resrec.com.  Please click HERE to download an order form. You can purchase individual talks or the entire conference.  An online weblink will be available in the future, but please use the email address and order form in the meantime.

Many of you have asked how to support the Skills for Life workshop, sponsoring future attendees or getting together more often than every 3 years.  If you want to support Skills for Life, consider donating to the 501c3 called Enhancing Skills for Life.  You could even hold your own fundraiser (bake sale, raffle, silent auction, etc) or please just consider sharing Enhancing Skills for Life with your social networks.  The more awareness we bring to this non-profit and group, the easier it will be to support future attendees or hold future conferences and possibly add social meet ups like a group cruise! Click HERE to learn more about Enhancing Skills for Life.

We are also looking for anyone with grant writing experience!  In the future, we hope to apply to various foundations who might be looking for awesome organizations (like ours) to support.

A list of names and email addresses will be sent out to all SFL attendees unless you choose to OPT OUT.  Please email Shawn Johnson as soon as possible if you DON'T want your email address shared with other SFL attendees. We hope to have this list ready to send out in the next few weeks.

Many of you have expressed interest in helping with the planning of the next Skills for Life.  We are looking for those individuals who have the TIME, ABILITY, and DESIRE to get involved in various aspects of planning the meeting.  Please click HERE to sign up.  You will be asked for name, contact information and items you are interested in helping with.

Our SFL photographer, Earl Fogler, took some amazing pictures throughout each day and put together a nice slide show to music.  Please take a look through the pictures and download them all or just the ones you want. Photos also included from Warfighter Engaged, Shawn's phone and some that were grabbed from FB. For t hose of you who missed the group photo, we hope to photoshop you in at some point.  If Shawn did not take an individual picture of you at SFL, please send one of you standing in front of a plain wall to  Shawn Johnson . ALSO, if you end up posting any pictures on social media, please tag the Skills for Life page... see below section for further details.

Link to Pictures

You all took some great pictures at the event and shared with your social networks. We would greatly appreciate it if you would go back and edit your post to tag the Skills for Life: Bilateral Upper Limb Loss Facebook Page. You can click on edit and then the "@" symbol and then start typing Skills for Life... by then options will appear and you should choose the one with the blue word logo. You may have to hit return before you start typing the "@Skills" for the options to appear.

CLOSED GROUPS

There are a few closed groups on Facebook that you should consider join so we can stay connected with one another.  Closed groups are different than public pages and information shared on these groups is only visible to those who belong to the group.  There are three groups called Skills for Life: Bilateral Upper Limb Loss Workshop (for those missing both limbs, caregivers and healthcare professionals and different than the public page), Quad Squad (for those missing all four limbs, caregivers and healthcare professionals) and The 5th Limbs  (for caregivers of those missing all four limbs). Click the links above to request to join each group. 

 

* ABC approved 18.75 credits plus exhibit hall time.  AM/PM sign in is mandatory.

* OT/PTs will need to submit certificate of attendance and program to state licensing boards.

• Understand pre-prosthetic evaluation and treatment needs unique to the bilateral upper limb loss individual 
• Understand evaluation and treatment needs after a prosthetic device has been fit
• Gain exposure to functional skills, adaptations, equipment, modifications used by individuals with bilateral limb loss
• Learn about the latest technology:  surgical techniques and prosthetic componentry
• Discuss appropriate functional outcomes, dependent upon level of limb loss
• Discuss emotional adjustments and impacts to the individual and family living with bilateral upper limb loss 

SFL Website