Teaching Physical Therapy Students

Something we look forward to every summer is the teaching we do with the University of Maryland Physical Therapy students. Usually, we start the week off by inviting the class to our Baltimore Washington office, where they attend lectures in our conference room, visit with patients who come to demonstrate their prostheses and orthoses in action, and visit our fabrication lab to see fabrication techniques and materials. This program had been held virtually due to COVID and we were looking forward to welcoming the students back to our facility this year!

The day before we were to host this amazing group, we lost our power. It was such a disappointment to all to have to cancel the session in our office. Tuesday, teaching resumed at the University for the rest of the week, where Mark Hopkins, PT, CPO, MBA and Angie Bryl, CPO, MBA were joined by other Dankmeyer staff Rochelle Dumm, CPO, Cole Branche, Resident Prosthetist Orthotist, and Jamie Dean, Patient Services Coordinator. A number of patient volunteers came to give these students a close look at their physical therapy and rehabilitative needs.

We are grateful to be able to participate in the education of these students, as they will work with us and other practitioners over the course of their careers serving those who wear orthoses, and those in the limb loss and limb difference community.

CPR Training - We Do Heart Work

Dankmeyer staff members are required to have several kinds of training to meet our American Board of Certification (ABC) accreditation requirements. CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) training is not required by ABC, but it is a skill that we think is a valuable skill to have - both to provide emergency care to our patients and staff, and be an emergency resource out in the community.

The Mayo Clinic website page says “Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique that's useful in many emergencies, such as a heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.” (For more information, click here.)

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to provide this training to our staff as we have in the past. This year we were happy to arrange training through Bayside CPR & AED Training Center (an American Heart Association training center.) Our instructor, Steven Yetton, brought his training materials from their Annapolis office, which include a powerpoint and the adult and infant dummies that are used for hands-on practice.

Using our Baltimore Washington office conference room as the CPR education center, staff members got a bit of a workout when practicing techniques on the dummies arranged on the floor! Training was provided to administer CPR to both adults and infants. At the end of the session, staff members were able take the required written test in order to get their official certification and CPR cards.

Education and service to our communities are two important pillars of our mission. Steve and the folks at Bayside helped us to accomplish our CPR training goals to further that mission.

Marlies On The Hill at the AOPA Policy Forum

Dankmeyer’s very own Marlies Beerli Cabell, CPO recently attended the 2022 AOPA Policy Forum on The Hill. (The Hill refers to the hill in Washington D.C. where the Capital Building sits and Congress meets.) This is an annual event sponsored by the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association (AOPA) which allows for the opportunity to learn about the latest legislative and regulatory issues and how they will affect the field of Prosthetics and Orthotics and the care for our patients.

People from all parts of the country attend - including clinicians, manufacturers, educators, patients and family members to educate and advocate! Marlies met in Zoom meetings with the staffers for Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen and Representative Raskin. She shared her clinical patient success stories to reveal custom designs with patient focused care in the difficulties of the COVID shutdown environment. She invited these Maryland members of Congress to visit Dankmeyer so they could clearly see what we do every day to meet the needs of our patients. Making a difference one day at a time!!

Marlies is actively engaged in our Advocacy efforts. If you would like to learn more about Advocacy, you can visit our Advocacy page by clicking here.

Attending the Virtual Amputee Coalition 2021 National Conference

The Amputee Coalition National Conference 2021 is now in the books! Dawn Miranda attended information packed sessions and is here to report.

September 29th to October 2, 2021 brought a virtual conference again packed with great speakers and informative topics. One of the biggest rewards is when amputees connect with amputees! Through networking lounges and chat boxes during the general sessions, people from all over the country were able to connect and share their stories. It was great seeing old friends and getting to put a face with a name for new ones.

This year the AC was using a platform called Remo to host the virtual event. It was a little bumpy in the beginning, but seemed to smooth out once the conference started. Mary Richards, CEO and President of the Amputee Coalition, gave a great welcome talk in the opening general session. Jeffrey J. Cain, MD, Chair, Amputee Coalition National Board of Directors; The Honorable Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator, Illinois; The Honorable Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Senator, Tennessee; The Honorable Brett Guthrie, U.S. Congressman, Kentucky were speakers they chose for the event. These were all engaging as well as informative, and so helpful with responses during the open chat, where you could ask and receive answers on the spot to your questions.

The topics this year were focused towards advocacy and pain management, with some alternative methods to help patients reduce their stress with standing or sitting - Tai Chi and yoga!  Dawn Contreras, Health Specialist, and Anita Carter, Program Instructor, (both from Michigan State University Extension) did a great talk plus demonstrations. They focused on how to help to maintain overall wellness through Tai Chi. 

Yoga for Phantom Pain: A Non-Opioid Alternative was presented by Marsha Danzig, Founder, Yoga for Amputees. I found the phantom pain management talk to have some great options for amputees to talk with their physicians about what may work for them. She is engaging and so talented you cannot help but want to try her yoga methods that all can do - either sitting or standing.

Friday brought the general session topic, Pain Management & Innovation. Presented by a the panel of Linda Porter, NIH; Justin Moore, APTA CEO and AC Board Member; Denise Hoffman, RN and SCIMAC member; Sharon Lamberton, Deputy VP at PhR, they all discussed various treatments available and upcoming options that will help amputees deal safely with pain.

Saturday closing general sessions brought us powerful speakers, Mary Richards, President & CEO, Amputee Coalition; Dan Ignaszewski, Chief Policy & Programs Officer, Amputee Coalition; Mahesh Mansukhani, CEO, Willow Wood; Posie Mansfield; William (Bill) Perno, AC Board member; Steve Wegener, Johns Hopkins University; Reggie Showers, Advocate & motivational speaker. 

At the closing, they shared an important talk about ”Body, Mind, & Wellness: Emerging Issues in Mental Health and Wellness”. We all have to be mindful how the pandemic has added stress to new and existing amputees’ lives. Limited transportation options, increased cost of food and major living expenses can all lead to depression and an increase in declining mental health. For new patients, due to pandemic guidelines, at one time loved ones could not visit patients nor could advocates - leaving new amputee patients to wonder who will answer my questions?

The new Amputee Coalition Peer Visitor App can help with that. The Amputee Coalition Support App is a free app designed for those living with limb loss, limb difference, and caregivers. This app is able to reach out with the power of connection to peer support and as well as valuable resources. It  is HIPAA compliant, and available via Apple App Store, Google Play, and web browser link. Click here for more information about Peer Visitors. Check out this app and reach out today to find someone you can connect with and find support!

This year’s conference, like last year’s, has kept us from meeting in person. I hope that one day in the future we can get together in person while keeping this virtual platform as not all can afford to travel to an in person conference - but they surely can reach out across the internet and join in for such a reasonable amount. Great job Amputee Coalition! - Dawn Miranda

Supporting Breast Cancer

For Angie Bryl, CPO and Dawn Miranda, Prosthetist Assistant, Mud Girl Race Day came on July 24, 2021! These ladies had been planning to attend this event for months. Dubbing themselves the “Dankmeyer Pink Ladies”, this event was two-fold. Dawn was preparing to celebrate a very important birthday and wanted to honor those who had passed from breast cancer as well as survivors. Angie and Dawn prepared a team “uniform” and included the names of people they wished to honor.

That morning, they took a road trip to the High Points Event Center in Clarksburg, Maryland. They swapped green Dankmeyer t-shirts to wear bright pink to join the pink army. This is a women only 5K race that includes 17 very muddy obstacles that will prove to challenge and bond the women that run for the survivors and those who were not able to beat the demon called breast cancer. On this day, they run for all women.

Here are some statics about breast cancer. 

·       About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.

·       In 2021, an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 49,290 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

·       About 2,650 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2021. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 833.

·       About 43,600 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2021 from breast cancer. Death rates have been steady in women under 50 since 2007, but have continued to drop in women over 50. The overall death rate from breast cancer decreased by 1% per year from 2013 to 2018. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances and earlier detection through screening.

A reference to breast cancer inflation can be found at the American Cancer Society. How Common Is Breast Cancer? Jan. 2021.

 Dawn has a more detailed report and more pictures in her July blog. Click here.