Paralyzed Veterans currently has 69 field offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, a national paid staff of some 270 employees, and 34 chapters with volunteers. Having worked with paralyzed veterans from seven wars, numerous other military actions and non-combat injuries and diseases for nearly 80 years, Paralyzed Veterans of America has developed a unique expertise on a wide variety of issues involving the special needs of its members.
Whatever happens with the current cutting-edge technologies still in research labs, however, Gillums said the high profile of veterans from the wars in Southwest Asia who suffered spinal injuries or amputations has heightened awareness of both the problem and those possible solutions.
Paralyzed Veterans has seen a significant shift not only in the public perception of the paralyzed, but also in the attitudes of its members toward the treatments and technologies now available to them.
“Attitudes toward mechanical devices run along generational lines. To use an exoskeleton, you need a second person trained in its use and maintenance, where with a wheelchair you just get in it and go. But the younger veterans are much more interested in these advanced technologies and are willing to endure the discomfort of walking around like a robot,” Gillums said.
Exoskeletons were originally designed to help warfighters lift heavier objects and work longer and harder with less effort or fatigue.
“Our Vietnam era members are largely not interested in exoskeletons, but today’s men and women are – and there are a lot more women who have served and now have spinal injuries. And because more and more information on these advances is available on the Internet, it gives them more and more hope about walking rather than sitting,” he continued.
“One of the things we battle in terms of public image is the idea that the wheelchair is an inferior state of being, but the exoskeleton won’t be for everybody, and those who are disappointed in not being a candidate for an exoskeleton need to see wheelchairs as a viable alternative and not see themselves as a failed version of a paralyzed vet because they are not up and walking.”
Gillums sees the future as being increasingly bright for those with spinal cord injuries or disease-related dysfunctions – not only veterans, but the estimated 5.5 million paralyzed Americans who have never served. That applies not only to science fiction-like technologies such as exoskeletons, but to cutting-edge research into neuro-muscular interconnects with robotic prostheses, “jumping” the point of injury to reconnect nerves above and below it – especially important for spinal cord patients – even transplants and regeneration.
As a leader in the development of adaptive sports and recreation, Paralyzed Veterans of America encourages veterans like Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran John Vail to keep active and healthy by continuing strength training, such as here at the James A. Haley VAMC in Tampa, Florida.
Just how those may evolve from the research lab to daily use is yet to be seen. And some may never make the transition.
“The first time I got a pager back in 1990, I never would have seen it evolving into the iPhone®. And that will happen with this current technology. There are some practical problems with putting warfighters in those kinds of suits [exoskeletons and other advanced capability gear] in actual battlefield conditions, so I don’t think we can expect that to be a major help in carrying the technology forward to non-combat applications,” he said, adding that does not necessarily mean exoskeletons won’t continue to be developed for non-military use.
“It’s rather like an ‘orphan’ disease. A lot of people see research in that area applying to many veterans, but you still need a second individual helping you, you’ll need power and maintenance – you won’t have someone in your neighborhood who can fix it – and it has to work in rain and cold. It has to go mainstream to drive down the costs, but there’s no easy way to start that process. And more veterans have to test it in order for the costs to come down. It also is up to the paralyzed vets to consider whether that technology is right for them.”
Whatever happens with the current cutting-edge technologies still in research labs, however, Gillums said the high profile of veterans from the wars in Southwest Asia who suffered spinal injuries or amputations has heightened awareness of both the problem and those possible solutions. And that has resulted in more researchers and manufacturers working on solutions – some with help from Paralyzed Veterans.
“We have a PVA health summit every year and many new competitors come to those,” he said. “But many of those are not American companies, which face a lot of red tape to get approved for public use. But the barrier to market penetration for U.S. companies also faces manufacturers outside the U.S. who want to sell their devices here. And tougher regulations can stifle R&D. Paralyzed Veterans also offers research grants to applicants seeking funding for new technology development, among other things. We’re sustained by corporate sponsors and private donors, so we only have about a million dollars a year for grants.