Homeless Amputees

September 6, 2007 7:06 AM

Why are there so many homeless amputees in my city?

I live in a large southern city of more than a million people. I work downtown, and though I have lived in large southern cities my whole life, I am floored by how many amputees are around our downtown. I work very close to the city's largest homeless shelter, and on any given day I see at least 6-8 men who are missing one or both legs, some of whom I recognize, but there are always new people as well, some in wheelchairs, some on crutches.

At first I assumed they were veterans, but now I'm not so sure. They seem to range in age from 18-70 and are either caucasion or african-american. As for the younger guys, I know they could have served in many recent conflicts, but wouldn't the VA have given them prostheses? I've only seen a few men with prosthetic legs.

Is this all related to simple lack of healthcare? Small injuries leading to large infections and amputations? How are so many missing both legs then? Why is it all missing legs and almost no missing arms? It's really been boggling my mind.

posted by shwynn2 to society & culture (14 comments total)

Poorly treated diabetes can lead to amputations.
posted by By The Grace of God at 7:09 AM on September 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Second the diabetes. Also, drug addicts can get gangrene leading to the need to amputate.
posted by milarepa at 7:16 AM on September 6, 2007

Missing limbs can also lead to poverty, especially in the absence of health insurance and in the presence of substantial discrimination against people with disabilities.
posted by occhiblu at 7:23 AM on September 6, 2007

Is there a VA hospital in town?
posted by rbs at 7:27 AM on September 6, 2007

Motorcycle accidents? (among the younger group)
posted by Quietgal at 7:34 AM on September 6, 2007

Yes, there is actually a VA hospital about 2 blocks away from this particular shelter.

I hadn't thought of diabetes. That makes a lot of sense, as does occhiblu's comment.
posted by shwynn2 at 7:39 AM on September 6, 2007

This is an interesting story, but probably unrelated to what you've witnessed: Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris was ordered to "leave town within twenty-four hours or leave in a casket" by the unnamed "king of the nubbies" of the town of Vernon, Florida (which Morris called "Nub City"), when he was researching a documentary about a bizarre scam wherein individuals would cut off their own limbs as a way to collect insurance money. The final version of Vernon, Florida contains no references to this scam. You can read about that story (and lots of other cool stuff about Errol Morris) here.
posted by billysumday at 7:44 AM on September 6, 2007

Another thing to consider is that if youre blue-collar and lose a limb, you're pretty much fucked. I'm sure there are many causes to what you are seeing, but i wouldnt discount this.

Also, diabetes is more likely to strike the foot than the hand.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:56 AM on September 6, 2007

In addition or instead of VA Hospital, perhaps your city has a large state-funded hospital responsible for indigent care across a wide area.

Case in point: When I lived in Galveston there were quite a few homeless disabled persons, including some amputees, visible in the downtown streets near my home. One reason for it was proximity to the UTMB state-funded hospital, along with proximity to other social services. Outside Houston, the Island remains the huge locus for social services; many rural counties do not fund these services or else contract with the state system to provide indigent care. The Chronicle recently featured the story of an indigent woman who had to drive ~170 miles from Lufkin to Galveston for weekly physical therapy.
posted by Robert Angelo at 8:06 AM on September 6, 2007

Off topic: billysumday just reminded me of something. Whatever you do, DO NOT READ Geek Love. Seriously.

On topic: one thing I learned from a friend who worked at a shelter years ago... there are some homeless amputees refuse to wear a prosthesis on purpose. Not to sound cold, but some consider their disfigurement to be an advantage over others when begging. More sympathy = more possible handouts. Doesn't apply to everyone of course, but to some.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:12 AM on September 6, 2007

Oh, and BTW, my father is an amputee who was treated by the VA as well. His was due to a circulation problem that he never took proper care of. Kind of like Reynaud's but not quite. (I have it too, but I take care of myself.) Anyhow, ten out of ten times when I mention to someone he's an amputee they ask if he has diabetes. So, I've learned it's actually very, very common for diabetes to lead to the amputation of limbs.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:18 AM on September 6, 2007

The majority of these guys aren't big panhandlers. We have a sizable panhandling problem downtown, but almost all of them are able-bodied. Generally the perople who stay at the shelter aren't big panhandlers.

Oh, and I loved Geek Love!
posted by shwynn2 at 8:23 AM on September 6, 2007

In the fair city of Glasgow, many homeless folk are limbless as the result of heroin abuse. Injecting heroin can damage veins and has been known to lead to gangrene (death and decay of body tissue, usually a digit or a limb) and tissue infections.

On a similar note there was also a fad of injecting Temazepam in the city, when "it was discovered that if the capsules were melted and injected the effects were more potent and similar to alcohol. However, the liquid has a tendency to congeal in arteries and cause thrombosis and gangrene, in some cases requiring amputation."

Lovely.
posted by brautigan at 8:37 AM on September 6, 2007

[a few comments removed - if you hate or love america or geek love, take it up elsewhere please]
posted by jessamyn at 12:58 PM on September 6, 2007