This is especially true for individuals with disabilities, chronic illness, or mental illness. Peer support for amputees can assist with adjustment to amputation psychosocial healing and sharing information about medical support, adaptive tools, and mental health resources.Īlthough traditional peer-to-peer support groups have functioned in face-to-face, real-time meetings, a limitation of face-to-face peer support groups is the lack of access due to distance, time, transportation, etc.
One such group-the Amputee Coalition-was founded in 1986 when “a small group of amputee support group leaders recognized the need for an organization dedicated to the needs of people with limb loss, their families and healthcare providers”. Support groups were created to help those affected by numerous conditions, from addictions to heart disease, cancer, and grief support. In the latter half of the 20th century, support groups in both the mental health field and medical profession proliferated. Alcoholics Anonymous showed how self-help groups could do what the medical profession had, for the most part, been unable to do, which was to help alcoholics successfully manage their addiction. The power and impact of support groups were demonstrated by one of the earliest support groups, Alcoholics Anonymous, in 1935. The chief physician at the hospital, Philippe Pinel praised these peer staff for being ‘gentle, honest, and humane’, ‘averse from active cruelty’, and ‘disposed to kindness’”. The concept of patient support groups dates back to the late 18th century France, where “The governor of Bicêtre Hospital in Paris, Jean Baptiste Pussin, recognized the value of employing recovered patients as hospital staff. A support group is defined as a group of people with common experiences and concerns who provide emotional and moral support for one another. Worldwide, peer support is a viable venue for acquiring and sharing this information. Although the availability of global data regarding the incidence of amputation is varied and nonstandardized, it is estimated that there are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in the United States, with approximately 185,000 amputations occurring here each year. Acquiring current and evolving prosthetic and health-related information is an ongoing process throughout the lifespan of an amputee.