How veterans with loss of use of limb/s live their everyday lives is poorly understood in the UK.

To help Blesma understand this more, the Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research (VFI) is looking into how Blesma Members, as well as their families and friends, live with loss of use of limb/s.

The Association is using the VFI to ensure an impartial approach and to guarantee that all the information provided by Members is anonymised. The findings will inform how Blesma can best help Members and their families in the future.

So far, the research team has interviewed a number of Members who have lost the use of their limb/s either as a result of accidental trauma or because of long-term degenerative conditions.

Findings so far include:

1 The injury/diagnosis acts as the ‘centre of the storm’ for family and friends: ‘The first one is realising it’s not my illness, it’s our illness’. And ‘It’s not I it’s We, because the effect on the family, arguably, was more difficult than it was on me’.

2 That the family and friends act as an ‘anchor’, but that their needs are seldom spoken of: ‘She has six senses and she’ll check with me. She’s become an expert in paraplegia. That’s good because she does understand me and sometimes I take that for granted. I should really appreciate that fact.’

3 That adapting to physical difference is constant, with ups and downs over many years: ‘The centre of the storm is the injury, but it’s the winds around it that keep it rolling’, and that ‘Nothing is ever static. It’s ups and downs. What I can do today might not be tomorrow. Alternatively, I might be able to do more tomorrow, but not again the next week. And that is hard because it never stays the same’.

4 The role of wider support and help for all is needed, but this support needs to be relevant to the individual: ‘I am aware that [name removed] wants to help more and I then don’t want them to help more because I want to be Mr Independent’, and ‘I could have been much quicker in achieving some goals if I had actually asked for help’.

This is a brief snapshot of the findings. In reality, it is more complex, and Blesma wants to learn more from Members and the people who help and support them.

To do this, the Association is inviting Members to help in three ways:

1 The veteran with loss of use of limb/s to complete an online survey at https://angliaruskin.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/surveyblesma-members. This is about general health and wellbeing and will take a maximum of eight minutes to complete.

The survey link will be live from 15 March, and it can be completed on a smartphone, tablet or computer. Please be aware that answers will be anonymised. A BSO can also assist in its completion as needed, and paper copies can be sent as well.

2 An online survey for family and friends. This is about their general health and wellbeing, and will take a maximum of five minutes to complete. The survey link will be live on 15 March, and can be completed on a smartphone, tablet or computer. Do be aware that all answers will be anonymised.

Please do share this widely with your family and friendship network – the more information the study collates, the better the Association can develop support to meet Members’ needs.

The form can be completed online at: https://angliaruskin.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/survey-for-family-members. Paper
copies can also be requested.

3 Volunteer to take part in interviews with the research team (the VFI) by contacting maria.iancu@aru.ac.uk. The Association would like to hear from Members about their everyday experiences of living with loss of use of limb/s as well as from family members, close friends and even those who help less often but are still important to Members’ lives.

For many, taking part in the interviews has helped in thinking back and understanding, because these life experiences are often not spoken about. One parent of a veteran with loss of use of an arm said: ‘It’s probably about time [I spoke of my son’s injury], so thank you, because nobody’s ever asked me before.’

For many veterans, it is also important: ‘Talk to mum, she’ll be able to give you the non-uniform side. I only perceive what I think they’ve gone through.