The study, funded by FiMT, discovered that a range of issues – from transport logistics to bowel and bladder concerns – created stress points that had a negative impact on entire family networks.

In addition to its recommendations, the research team developed a set of practical resources to help facilitate safe conversations between families and health care providers, employers and educational organisations, as well as guides on dealing with future challenges when living with loss of use of limb.

Read the full report here

Brian Chenier, Support Officer (Prosthetics) at Blesma said:

“No matter how much you plan, the slightest change could throw everything off balance and dealing with that knowledge can be debilitating. The findings will help Blesma deliver better support to our members and will also help us advocate for better services and awareness across society. This is an important piece of research, powered by the insights of Blesma members, which can bring about change. The aim was to give them a voice and we intend to amplify it for a better future.”

Dr Hilary Engward, Associate Professor in the Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) said:

“The uncertainty of living with loss of use of limb was a very strong finding. Everything can change so quickly and it can impact your physical, emotional, mental and social health, which is all interwoven. One day, you can be living well with the disability but tomorrow something might change and that uncertainty is different for different people. We all live with some uncertainty but you can plan for most of it. With loss of use of limb, life is more fragile and unpredictable. You don’t know where or when you are going to feel fatigued, exhausted or have issues with your other limbs. This has a ripple effect across families.”

Michelle Alston, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, added:

“Ex-Service personnel that lose function of limbs can face different and unpredictable challenges when transitioning to civilian life. If these ex-Service personnel and families are to thrive, they need to be adequately understood by those that support them and have the tools to manage the additional challenges they face. We hope this research can inform policy and practice so that ex-Service personnel who have lost the function of a limb can be enabled to thrive after their service.”

<Ends>

  • The study interviewed and surveyed 81 members of Blesma, the Limbless Veterans charity including ex-Service personnel who had lost the function of a limb and their family members.
  • Limb function loss included those whose losses were Service-related and those who were not Service-related.