Group rehabilitation of vascular surgery patients

This paper describes a continuing weekly therapy group for vascular surgery amputees. Group goals include (1) assisting amputees with feeling of helplessness, isolation, and depression; (2) facilitating staff awareness of psychosocial factors in each patients' rehabilitation; (3) integrating ward management with physiatric treatment; (4) mobilizing patient's coping skills; and (5) motivating patients to participate in rehabilitation of other amputees. Group meetings emphasize ventilative, mutual-support approaches, rarely including conventional psychotherapeutic techniques. Members exchange technical information concerning prostheses, operations and amputee life, as well as coping techniques in a general hospital social system. Patient choices as to what to discuss are described.