Ability Helps Hurdle Life‑Changing Challenges

Healthcare
Taffy E. Bowman, CPO, Managing Practitioner
in Exton, is energized by her patients. “So many
people we see have experienced traumatic loss
and challenges. Yet, they persevere and overcome.
Working with them is truly inspiring.”
Ability Helps Hurdle
Life‑Changing Challenges
Hurdle
By Susan I. Shiber
Photography by Kelly O’Keefe
i
t sometimes takes only seconds for
a life to change forever. An unseen
traffic light. A shallow pond. A slippery
slope. One minute a group of friends
merrily mix it up, the next one of them
is rushed to the emergency department of
the nearest hospital.
Results can be devastating, especially when a limb is lost. Emotional
impact often exceeds physical limitations for individuals and their loved
ones. Fear, depression, doubts about the
future, and countless questions fan out
like a deck of cards.
Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics’
board-certified practitioners adroitly
scoop up those cards, one by one, and
guide patients along the restoration path
to satisfying lifestyles. The company,
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founded by Jeffrey M. Brandt, CPO, has
10 sites in four states, including Exton.
The local practice is the only full-time,
full-service orthotic and prosthetic practice of its kind in Chester County.
Taffy E. Bowman, CPO, Managing
Practitioner in Exton, is energized by
her patients. “So many people we see
have experienced traumatic loss and
challenges. Yet, they persevere and
overcome. Working with them is truly
inspiring.”
Jim Allen epitomizes this tenacity.
Just before dawn early last September,
the 42-year-old Elverson resident was
heading home on his motorcycle.
Another driver failed to see him and suddenly crashed into his vehicle. Allen was
transported via helicopter to Reading
Hospital.
“I don’t remember a thing,” says the
burly steelworker, who was in a coma for
more than a month. “I was told that 16
units of blood were delivered at the scene
Bowman and her colleagues use the most advanced technology to perfect prosthetic devices for patients
from infant to octogenarians, veterans to professionals and beyond.
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Healthcare
extension, while he walked along parallel bars. Quality and type of fabrication are essential to a patient’s freedom
to move with little effort and resume
an active routine. That’s why Ability
doesn’t make devices in-house. We rely
on manufacturers that are leaders and
innovators in the industry. Our goal is
to ensure the most comfortable fit and
function available.”
Naturally, the cycle enthusiast compares the C-Leg to his temporary prosthesis with a motor vehicle analogy. “The
difference is like driving an automatic car
instead of stick shift.” His new prosthesis
sports a custom airbrush-painted symbol
of the grim reaper, perhaps a statement
to beating the odds. “Yes, I’m missing a
leg, but I’m above the ground.”
Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics, founded by Jeffrey M. Brandt, CPO, has 10 sites in four states,
including Exton.
and before it was all over, that number
increased to 100. I had surgery almost
every day, and my leg was initially amputated below the knee. Three weeks later I
had an infection. My temperature soared
to 104 degrees, and at that point, they
amputated my leg above the knee.”
Allen spent a week at Bryn Mawr
Rehab in occupational and physical
therapy. He was referred to Ability to
be fitted for a prosthesis and then went
back to Bryn Mawr Rehab for prosthetic
training.
Bowman explains that Allen’s first
device was a temporary prosthesis,
which was replaced with a micro-processor C-Leg®. “The new device is programmed to set resistance within the
knee and ultimately simulate Jim’s gait.
A lot depends on what he does with his
other leg. I evaluate angles, quickness,
and slowness, as well as knee flex and
Ability offers much more
than C-Legs. Bowman and
her colleagues use the most
advanced technology to perfect
prosthetic devices for patients
from infant to octogenarians,
veterans to professionals and
beyond. One of the latest products is Pulse Hand, which gives
patients the ability to pick up
small items, hold keys, and
manipulate knives and forks. “It
really is a bionic hand,” Bowman insists. “If a patient loses
the dominant hand, we can
train the other limb; the device
becomes the assistive hand. We
customize covers to place over
Pulse Hand and other prostheses that are incredibly lifelike,
right down to manicures, freckles, and pigment.”
Bowman points to several advanced
orthotic products, including a Cranial
Remolding Helmet, WalkAide, and
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E-MAG Active. The remolding helmet
is customized to fit babies with deformational/positional plagiocephaly and
brachycephaly. The lightweight plastic
and foam orthosis made from a safe, precise, and easy 3-D head scan is used to
achieve cranial symmetry.
The WalkAide is a revolutionary FDA-approved medical device that
improves gait for patients with drop foot,
a condition characterized by weakness or
paralysis of muscles involved in lifting
the front part of the foot. Drop foot is
due to brain or spinal diseases; such as
stroke; multiple sclerosis; cerebral palsy;
or traumatic injuries. E-MAG Active,
an electronic stance control knee-anklefoot-orthosis (KAFO) that calibrates to
understand how patients walk, adjusting
itself to meet their needs.
These are only a few of numerous
streamlined solutions for patients requiring orthotic or prosthetic devices. Ability
manages a wide variety of amputation
levels and performance-enhancing brace
applications with empathy and premier
care. It has earned national recognition
for best practice model and approach.
People like Jim Allen are grateful for the
professional setting in a Class A medical
environment, coordination with insurance providers, and Ability’s patient
advocacy and kindness. Ability is a market leader for state-of-the-art products
and compassionate care in each stage of
a patient’s treatment and rehabilitation.
“That’s our goal,” exclaims Brandt. “We
want to provide the highest level of care,
service, and education to our patients.”
Allen’s fortitude, coupled with
Ability’s professionalism and sensitive
concern, are sources of encouragement
for others who face daunting circumstances. He’s back on his motorcycle utilizing a thumb shifter, fishing in nearby
streams, and looks forward to ordering
a swim leg so he can frolic in the ocean
with his kids. When able to walk independently, Allen will return to work at
the steel mill. “I didn’t let this beat me,”
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he exclaims. “He’s a superstar of prosthetic patients,” praises Bowman.
Speaking of superstars, how would
Allen rate Ability and his prosthetist? “I
give them both a 10,” he emphasizes with
a broad grin.
•
Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics
The Commons at Oaklands
660 W. Lincoln Highway
Exton, PA 19341
610.873.6733
www.AbilityPO.com