Abstract
We studied the status of 75 male retired amputees, injured from railway work accidents, to examine the significance of long-term rehabilitation. We concluded that the amputees of upper and lower extremities remained physically strong enough to perform light labor during the first ten years after retirement. At five years after retirement, however, a marked decrease in daily activities and increase in body weight had led to decreased use of prostheses. Usage, repair, and fitting of prostheses fell to 70% of the level at the time of employment. Many amputees found reemployment within a few years after retirement. More than 65% of the amputees were employed at the time of this investigation, among several occupations. Thus a large number of the amputees were actively using damaged or ill-fitting prostheses, repeatedly injuring their stumps, in some cases to extents beyond hope of successful treatment. This state of affairs was due to the changes in circumstances surrounding the amputees after retirement, reducing their motivation to care properly for either their prostheses or their stumps.
Because we now live in a society in which the geriatric segment has recently been undergoing rapid growth, we must organize active follow-up programs for amputees nearing retirement, in close collaboration with employers. From the standpoint of medical and social rehabilitation, various support services for amputees are needed to prevent deterioration of their life environments.
