Amputees gathered for a day of sports as part of a process to highlight the benefits of participation for those with prosthetics, in wheelchairs or otherwise with lost limbs.
The ‘try out’ day, organised by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, was for those who attend the Amputee Rehabilitation Centre at Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast.
Participants at the Sporting Highlights day at the Olympia Leisure Centre in Belfast on Thursday took part in a range of sports, including bowling, golf, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, inclusive cycling, wheelchair hurling and badminton.
“The aim of the event is to let our service users know what is out there, because having prosthetic limbs or being a wheelchair user shouldn’t discourage anyone from taking part in sport,” Belfast Trust’s rehabilitation consultant Lorraine Graham said.
“We recognise that participating in sport provides a mechanism for healthier living, meeting new friends, achievement of personal goals and provides physical and mental benefits.”
The centre encourages its users “to come and have a go at something they haven’t tried before or didn’t know how to become involved”, added Dr Graham.
The Amputee Rehabilitation Centre is the centre for the assessment of patients who have had amputations or were born with the absence of an arm or leg.
It is staffed by nurses who are experienced in amputee care.
It is led by consultants in rehabilitation medicine and the team includes specialist physiotherapists, occupational therapists, prosthetists who make and fit prosthetic limbs, a clinical psychologist, nurses, dieticians and social workers.
