Home Improvements to Make After an Upper Limb Amputation

After an upper limb amputation, there are many things to process. But one of the things that will likely be running through your mind is, how do I go through life now that things are so different? In this article, we’ll discuss modifications that can be made to a home after one has lost a hand or arm.

The different activities that people take part in throughout the day have a name: Activities of Daily Living (ADL). These include eating, bathing, dressing, toileting (using the toilet and other personal hygiene activities), transferring (moving from one place to another) and maintaining continence.

For some of those ADLs, having one hand will not affect the success of the activity. For others, you may find that issues crop up. Read on for ways to solve them:

Eating

Changing the layout of one's kitchen and even altering the cabinetry to be more accessible are options, depending on one's budget and amputation level. You can read more about changing a kitchen to better allow for cooking and eating in our articles Kitchen Organization and Set Up for People with an Upper Limb Difference and Using Universal Design in Home Remodeling for People with a Limb Difference.

Bathing

You get in the shower. You want to wash your hair. You need to hold the shampoo bottle to squeeze it and you need to have your palm ready to receive the shampoo. This is not feasible without both hands. One option is to install a dispenser in your shower — like a soap dispenser, but with additional reservoirs for shampoo, conditioner and whatever other liquids you may need in the shower. You can modify the levers so that your remaining limb can dispense the liquid into your sound hand’s palm — or even purchase the soap dispensers that are motion activated. As an alternative, you can buy the types of large shampoo/conditioner/soap bottles that have pump dispensers attached to the bottle. Or cut down on plastic by purchasing a shampoo bar that can be rubbed on the scalp one-handed. Be sure to check out our articles Retrofitting Your Bathroom After an Arm Amputation and Bathroom Hacks for People with a Bilateral Limb Difference for more modification ideas.

Toileting

For toileting, pump dispensers are helpful. Soap in a dispenser, hair gel. Deodorant, though … that’s a tricky one. There’s a lot of outside-of-the-box thinking that goes along with being a recent amputee. Check out your local hardware store and let them know you’re looking for something to set up a rig like the one pictured above — or see if you can recreate it ordering items from the internet. You’ll need a clamp-on flexible gooseneck and some Velcro. The piece you see above is actually part of a mic stand — so the music store may be of help, too. Learn more about how to make these types of gooseneck stands work for you in our article "Retrofitting Your Bathroom After an Arm Amputation." 

As for actually using the toilet, recent amputees may find the process annoying but doable with just their sound limb. You may want to consider a retrofit bidet for your existing toilet. You can find bidet seats online or at Costco.

Dressing

People with higher levels of amputation may benefit from a dressing tree. This is an item that can often be built by a knowledgeable handyman, and either nailed/screwed into the wall or built as a standalone unit. 

For more tips regarding dressing after an amputation, see our articles Clothing Options for People with an Upper Limb Difference and Adaptive Clothing: Tips and Tricks for People with a Bilateral Upper Limb Difference.

Transferring: Getting from One Room to Another

Installing door levers or handles, instead of knobs, can make an amputees life much easier. Even with a multi-articulating terminal device, pushing down on a lever is much easier than trying to grab and turn a round doorknob. Of course, you could use your sound hand to open or close a door, but many amputees find that if they’re trying to take something from one room to another, it’s easier carry the item with their sound hand and open the door either with their remaining limb or their prosthetic device. Levers are even more necessary for bilateral amputees. Our patient Gerry: "Even after all these years, I still don't like doorknobs. I don't accept help from strangers most of the time, but if I'm out and I come across a doorknob and someone says, 'Can I help you with that?', the answer is yes."

Don't feel like installing new door handles? Check out these door knob extenders.

Did you know every state has an assistive tech provider program? These programs make it possible for people to try out assistive tech before buying it, and, once making a decision, they can often purchase the tech at reduced rates. These programs also often offer the option of being trained in the use of assistive technology. You can use this site to help find a provider in your state: https://www.at3center.net/stateprogram.

We hope you’ve found these tips helpful. Please stay tuned for upcoming articles in which we’ll go over changes that can be made in the kitchen to facilitate food preparation, changes that can be made throughout the house to facilitate the use of electronics, and ways to make house cleaning easier. You can also check out our article concerning changes that can be made after a bilateral upper limb amputation. Additionally, please tell us in the comments about your own home modifications!

*Please note that none of the above links to products are recommendations — rather just ideas to help get the home modification process started.

For more information, see related articles and resources here:

• Kitchen Tips for Upper Limb Amputees: Cutting and Chopping
• Bathroom Hacks for People with a Bilateral Limb Difference
• Retrofitting Your Bathroom After an Arm Amputation
• Life Hacks for People with Upper Limb Loss
• Clothing Options for People with an Upper Limb Difference