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National Peer Network (NPN)
Overview
The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) recognizes the challenges of recovering from a traumatic event such as losing a limb or learning that your child will be born with limb loss. The ACA has embraced peer support as one way to help address these challenges, through its multifaceted National Peer Network (NPN). Through the NPN, people with limb loss and limb difference across the United States can receive the emotional support and information vital to a full recovery. All NPN programs are designed to assist amputees in resuming productive lives. These programs have grown tremendously over the last few years. Described in detail later in this section, the NPN currently includes the following:
- Nearly 300 support group listings
- More than 1,000 civilian and military certified peer visitors trained since 2001
- The Parent Support Network, with a Parent Peer Visitor Program designed for the unique needs of parents of children with limb loss/difference
Support Groups
Amputee support groups are a vital link in the NPN. They are an important part of the recovery process. Support groups provide an invaluable place for new amputees and their family members to connect with others who have overcome similar challenges. Here, they can learn healthy coping strategies and practice skills in a supportive environment. ACA seeks to strengthen and expand the support group network for people with limb loss/difference in the United States through assistance to ACA member support groups. Benefits for member support groups currently include:
- 5 copies of each issue of inMotion
- 5 copies of the latest edition of First Step
- Complete listing of contact information on the ACA Web site
- 1 copy of a comprehensive support group manual, with updates when applicable
- Reduced registration rates for the ACA’s National Conference for every member of the support group
- Registration at no charge for an all-day Support Group Leaders Workshop, held at the ACA’s National Conference (see below)
- Reduced fee for sponsorship of local peer visitor training
Support Group Leaders Workshop
The Support Group Leaders Workshop is conducted during the ACA National Conference. It creates a space for ACA support group leaders to meet in person and discuss a variety of issues that support groups face. This is an excellent opportunity to meet other individuals committed to providing support to amputees. It also offers the chance to learn from the experts about the challenges and rewards of running an amputee support group. The Support Group Leaders Workshop is a unique and invaluable opportunity for leaders of new and old support groups alike.
Amputee Communicator Forum
A new venture developed by the ACA’s National Peer Network, the Amputee Communicator Forum provides a support system for amputees who are unable or prefer not to physically attend a support group. As a virtual discussion space, the Forum fosters support among members of the limb loss/difference community in the United States, regardless of geographical distance and time zone. The Forum can be used for discussion on any number of topics, which registered users can add as they choose. It is the only such forum that requires documentation that an applicant is indeed an amputee. This assures all participants that it is an amputee-ONLY discussion board. To register for the Amputee Communicator Forum, click here.
Peer Visitor Program
No one is potentially in a better position to understand about living life with an amputation or supporting a person with limb loss/difference than someone who has been there. On this important premise, the ACA’s Peer Visitor Program was established. An experienced, well-trained peer can offer encouragement and information from a place, and at a pace, that an overwhelmed individual can better absorb.
To become an ACA certified peer visitor, a person with limb loss or difference or a family member must pass a Peer Visitor Training Seminar. They must have adjusted well to their loss and be celebrating a full life, however they choose to live it. Through courses offered across the country, peer visitors learn what it means to be a genuinely positive force as a visitor. They learn what the role encompasses, what the inherent limitations are, how to recognize the elements of recovery and how to respond with the most helpful interventions during the different phases of emotional adjustment. Based on principles of adult learning, the full-day course incorporates a variety of highly interactive elements, including role-play, games, brainstorming and case studies. The course focuses on rehearsing peer visitation skills in a number of situations and giving and receiving feedback. Certified peer visitors are required to maintain an active ACA membership and to regularly update their certification through online recertification training.
Visits by an ACA certified peer visitor may be conducted in person, by phone and sometimes even by e-mail. The important thing is to best meet the needs of the individual being visited in a timely way. While face-to-face meetings are often considered ideal, some prefer the anonymity, convenience or control that comes with a phone call or an e-mail. Also, many individuals live in remote, unpopulated areas where there are few, if any, peer support opportunities.
Parent Support Network
A new program in the ACA’s National Peer Network, the Parent Support Network provides training and support for the needs of parents of children with limb loss/difference. The parent peer visitor training was created specifically for parents of children with limb loss/difference. It supplies the peer visitor with strategies and techniques for providing support to a parent throughout a child’s development. Parents who complete the training and certification process receive a wealth of information and resources about how best to provide support to other parents.
For more information e-mail npninfo@amputee-coalition.org.
